


Perfect Timing

by CorvidCamera



Category: Naruto
Genre: Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Gen, Reincarnation, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-14
Updated: 2020-02-07
Packaged: 2020-03-05 10:12:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 93,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18826585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CorvidCamera/pseuds/CorvidCamera
Summary: A highly utilitarian girl from our world gets thrust into the midst of the Third Shinobi World War. All she wants to do now is avoid changing the original story.It's not as easy as it sounds. OC/Reincarnation.





	1. The Enemy You Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which knowing the ending of Naruto only seems to make things worse for our reincarnated protagonist.

 

"Shit," was all Reina could say when suddenly faced with memories of a life she was really, definitely,  _way_  too young to have lived.

In her new body, the one that was already residing in the Naruto universe, she had already been an orphan for as long as she could remember―it'd been five years since she'd first been dropped off at the gates as a baby by a man of unknown village ties.

The man carrying her had been covered in blood, tiny rivulets dripping down his face by the time he'd hastily handed her bundle off to the nearest Chunin at the gate. The second she'd left his fingers, the seal on his body exploded, and Reina was immediately brought to the nearest hospital to be examined for injuries.

After being proclaimed a completely normal, if not awfully small child, she was unceremoniously plopped into the nearest available crib at the village orphanage, and that was that. She'd never lived anywhere else since then, the orphanage matron kindly allowing her to stay even after she'd entered the Academy a few weeks ago.

Oh yes, she'd entered the school for trained assassins at age five. That was allowed, because guess what? They were also still in the midst of the Third Shinobi World War. Fuck.

It was a few moments after fainting at her worn little birchwood desk that she'd awoken to memories of an entire  _21 years_  of her previous life; a life in a world where everything around her was part of a popular anime series. A series that wasn't real. Wasn't her problem. Until now.

In her previous life she had been a university student with a mind for numbers and a safe, loving family; as well as a dog she now dearly missed. She's not sure how she died so young in that world, but it probably wouldn't be nearly as graphic as the one she'd experience in this one if she wasn't careful. Did she mention she's five now?

Back in her old life, her interest in the Naruto series had been limited―she'd watched what she could of it in her downtime during college, which wasn't a lot, though she did make it to the end right before her death. She generally knew what would happen in the series, but not many of the little details, and the haze of competing memories of her life already lived here wasn't helping. Plus, she'd kind of preferred One Piece.

The current incarnation of Reina seemed to differ. Now that she had little Reina's memories from this life, it was clear she'd wanted to be a ninja too, having already enrolled herself into the Academy despite being a clanless, orphaned little nobody. Well, maybe she'd get lucky and die quickly and painlessly fighting the war. And then she'd be reincarnated into the world of Pirate Kings instead.

But obviously, if she had that level of control in the matter, she wouldn't be here in the first place.

 

* * *

 

It seemed the war propaganda had been especially strong when this Reina was growing up; her current incarnation had fallen for it and fallen  _hard_.

As Reina searched around her room for more clues to the new world around her, she'd stopped to stare at the alarming number of shinobi posters and toy kunai little Reina had in her shared room.

Little 'before-reincarnation' Reina here had big ol' dreams of fighting for her village, the desire to help defend them from their enemies, and in turn, make a name for herself as a hero; just like the fliers and pamphlets the older shinobi handed out promised she could.

But little Reina hadn't known what her older, past self did, a fact she couldn't help but groan at. That this path was far more dangerous than anyone her age could ever fathom. The Kyuubi attack hadn't even happened yet. They were still in the midst of the Third Shinobi War.

Previous Reina hadn't even really known war.

That was one of the things that struck her the most; she was pretty much at the beginning of the series, no, even before then―there was the war, plus Minato, from what she had garnered upon seeing the Hokage Monument in passing, hadn't even been elected Hokage yet.

And she had never been involved enough with the story to be familiar with the exact timeline, so that was a distinct disadvantage.

_So what if Naruto isn't born yet?_  She tried to reassure herself. Who cared if she didn't know when he would be? As long she could make it out alive until then, her knowledge of what was to come after could be a huge advantage for her survival.

Though then came the next problem; she didn't really know if she was supposed to be in this world or not. There'd been no mention of reincarnated girls in the main series, or the ability of anyone to reincarnate, at least not that she knew of. It seemed like a weird thing to gloss over.

If she wanted the series to stay the same as the one she once knew, she'd have to do as much as possible not to change  _anything,_  then. Previous Reina was a good student that paid attention in the class that covered Schrödinger's cat. She knew the implication of alternate universes and branching off, and she didn't want to ruin the (mostly) happy ending she knew, born of strife as it were, because at least in that one the heroes still prevailed.

_The enemy you know is better than the enemy you don't._

Reina decided she won't do anything to take away from that final future, tempting as it might become, and went on with her life as well as she could.

 

* * *

 

After searching around Konoha, she'd managed to glean she was, at minimum, five years older than the main cast. The math wasn't really, you know, exact, but it was the best she could do seeing as none of them had been born yet.

Reina had first seen Mikoto with her arms full of toddler Itachi in the streets one day, after he caught her attention with the most  _grating_ , high-pitched whine she had ever heard. She turned at the sound to see his mother handing him a piece of a sweet bun from a nearby stand, effectively shutting him up as he gnawed hard on the soft dough.

Reina stared right at that fat-faced future mass-murderer.

Well, despite that, he was actually a pretty cute kid. His yapping quieted as Mikoto continued to walk down the street, his jiggling cheeks stretched into a warm, blubbering smile.

Since he was obviously around two or three years old, that made her at least three years older than Itachi. Good to know, though it still didn't really give her exact numbers on that timeline.

She couldn't help but feel a little jarred, watching the two of them walk away; it would be so easy to just run up to Mikoto and warn her about the massacre―spin her the tale of failed coup, how it essentially killed her elder son in the long run and completely traumatized the younger, and warn the young mother to stop it.

Nope. Reina walked away.

Some weeks later she also saw Shikaku, Inoichi, and Chouza, chatting outside of a tea shop in their ninja gear like the lifelong friends they were. She herself will be quite old by the time these three die, probably older than she'd been in her previous life. Old enough to warn them of their fate and be taken, at least a bit, seriously. But without her interference, they die heroically, sacrificing themselves for their village.

It's not her place to take that away from them.

 

* * *

 

Oh, and then there's Obito.

She hadn't even thought to look for him until she felt the burst of wind as he ran past her on her way to the Academy one day. The gale carried his loud curses about being late with him as he went.

From what she'd glimpsed, he was in his teens, looking almost exactly how he'd been depicted in the series. He probably only had a few years until his 'demise'.

Warning him could mean erasing a lot of the tragedy that happens later on―

but that would take away the promise of a future she could predict.

Reina didn't even have to wrestle with the thought that hard.

What if by changing events, she kept important heroes from being born, or started a chain reaction of events that allowed new, more powerful villains to rise? Ones just as easy for Madara to manipulate? She―no, not just her, the village too― _they_  were only truly safe if things stayed the way they were meant to.

Reina would treat this as a numbers game. Naruto was destined to save the entire world in the end. She couldn't risk all of their lives to save one little Uchiha boy.

She thinks this, but she is still standing in the middle of the street half an hour later, stuck staring at the spot where Obito's blue and orange-clad figure disappeared to.

She realized, at that moment, a very annoying fact; that she is surrounded by ghosts.

Even if their deaths haven't happened yet, they are dead to her, because she will do nothing to stop them.

A tiny voice in her heads whispered this reminder every time she walked through the village and saw a familiar face, so she stopped walking through Konoha during the day, instead electing to take the long route to the Academy and do her errands in the early mornings.

Reina is tired of the ghosts.

 

* * *

 

Reina stared openly at Shishui. He gave a friendly, almost awkward, smile back.

"Uh, hi," He said, confused, and probably a little freaked out by Reina's staring. That was fair; she  _was_  a bit bug-eyed in this body.

She hadn't planned to make a habit out of staring at Uchihas this week, but this kid had thrown a little wrench in her plans.

Shisui was usually surrounded by the other Uchiha children in the classroom or the yard, so she hadn't taken any notice of him individually; but now that he stood before her alone, she could place him by his messy hair and extremely long eyelashes, which were just plain unfair on a boy that young.

She hadn't expected to see anyone she recognized from the series in her class, being so much older than the main cast, yet still years younger than Kakashi's generation. But apparently, she and Shisui had been in the same one for a few weeks now, even before she'd gotten her previous life's memories. Great.

As far as  _ghosts_  went, his situation was a little more unique. He wasn't in the series much―so little, in fact, that at first Reina had incredible trouble placing what exactly his role had been. Then the cogs of her mind finally click together.

Shisui was to be the sacrificial lamb, so to speak; the first domino to fall before catalyzing the Uchiha clan's future decimation. The image of Mikoto and Itachi from the street the other day flashed in her mind, quick and blinding like a strike to the face, as she finally lowered her eyes from the boy's face.

It'd been only a few hours after she got her old memories back when she'd decided that, despite her aversion to yet another early death in this life, and her avoidance towards changing canon, continuing her shinobi studies might not be such a bad idea.

Staying at the Academy meant she could at least learn how to defend herself should anything come up. Like, say, the several village-wide invasions that even shinobi-protected civilians had perished in over the course of the series.

She was in a world of body-snatching snake-men, deadly eye magic, and evil councilmen, one of which essentially will kill the boy in front of her, and those were just the threats within the village currently (or had Orochimaru already left Konoha? She didn't really know, but he'd come back later anyway). Reina would have a hard time feeling safe here, even as a normal civilian. Hence, staying at the Academy to defend her sorry ass.

(And besides, it seemed this world's Little Reina was as friendless as her previous life's incarnation had been, so it wasn't like anybody in her class would notice the change. Ouch.)

Another perk was that Academy orphans were allowed their own apartments outside of the orphanage (though tiny, dinky little places they were, the village always needed more shinobi thanks to the war, and they seemed all too ready to supply her accommodations).

This meant she would be far, far away by the time a newborn Naruto was dropped off at what she was pretty sure was the only orphanage in town. Their apparent age differences promised she could be well out of the Academy before he started attending here too.

But if Shisui was in her class, that posed a potential problem. Too much interaction with him might end up changing the course of the story...

Well, then again, he died  _so_  many years before the start of the main series. And really, if his role was just that, how much damage could attending the same class truly cause? He'd be a corpse floating down a river soon enough.

Oof. As much as being clanless kind of sucked, least Reina hadn't been born a Uchiha.

"Shisui, Reina, are you ready?" The teacher called, interrupting her thoughts. She'd forgotten they were standing in the yard, a small white circle etched in the ground surrounding the two students. Shisui'd already settled in his stance, prepared for the fight, and nodding to the teacher.

"Good luck," He said to Reina, pulling up the Seal of Confrontation.

Oh yes, they were in the middle of a Taijutsu test. This was supposed to be a friendly spar, a sort of benchmark for their current skills at the beginning of the year, nothing out of the ordinary. Reina kept her gaze down to she avoided eye contact with the ghost in front of her, before pulling up her own Seal of Confrontation.

"Ready... And go!"

Reina probably should have guessed she would be out of her league here, but the reminder is clear as the boy comes flying at her before she has time to blink. Literally. Her eyelid has only made it a millimeter down by the time he is in front of her.

She'd thought herself lucky that Little Reina, the girl who no longer existed now that this Reina was occupying her mind, had dreamt so hard of being a shinobi. Little Reina had worked on her chakra control to a point where Reina could use it well enough for basic ninjutsu.

Despite that, she, unfortunately, hadn't made much progress in her Taijutsu before her memories had shown up.

Reina was much more a bookworm than a fighter in her past life, and she remembered Shisui's reputation in the main series. She was about to get her ass handed to her.

The future Uchiha legend is fast, so much faster than her, a girl with a third of a lifetime more than him. She's acutely terrified when she's suddenly on the ground, his left hand pushing her into the dirt by her upper chest, his right in a fist only inches away from her nose.

Her last thought before his knuckles were about to connect with her face was that she should've just made like a Nara and forfeited when she had the chance.

And suddenly there is only a deafening thrum of silence.

_"What?"_

Reina had squeezed her eyes shut for a second, bracing for the impact of his punch when the sound of Shisui's shock has them flying open again.

She looked around her to see only black and white. Wait, that can't be right.

So far it'd felt like she was in the anime, not the manga, but the colorless greyscale around her definitely more resembled the latter right now.

...And then she realized all the movement around them had also suddenly ceased.

Their classmates looked to be frozen in time, various expressions held eerily still on their faces. Their teacher's unblinking gaze stared directly at her, yet unseeing, clipboard in hand and pen hovering above the paper, unmoving. She heard no wind, saw no rustling of leaves in the trees.

There is only silence.

"What?" She echoed Shisui dumbly, before looking up at him. He is the only one still in color, besides herself. His eyes are no longer on her as he takes in the scene as well.

His knuckles were truthfully nowhere near her face as whatever is happening kicked in, and she blinked again, wondering if that will bring the color back. Shisui pulled back, almost stumbling as he did.

"What's happening? Did you do this?" He asked, voice tight with alarm, before rising to his feet. Reina sat up slowly too, glancing at the frozen figures around them. She and Shisui are the only ones not subject to the changes she'd observed, moving as if in a world of their own as the one around them stays paused.

"I don't... I don't know," Reina said. It is terrifying, the blackened shadows and the too-bright whites of this colorless world. She sees the group of Uchiha children from their class standing behind Shisui, fists paused midair from cheering on their cousin, dark hair and irises now even more striking against the crisp whiteness of their skin.

Shisui is the one staring at her now. No longer was there that relaxed stance and friendly grin Reina had always seen him sporting around the classroom.

Instead, there is something sharp in his eyes, accented by those long lashes, as he gives her a look far too analytical for someone his age. His back tenses ramrod straight as he takes a step away from her, as if distance might undo the effects of what is happening.

Reina frowned at this, but her focus shifts back to the matter at hand. There is a pounding in her head, and something is bubbling up in her chest.

She coughed it out, bringing her hand up to her face―only to lower it a moment later and see herself reflected in a small pool of crimson.

"Is that bloo-" She barely heard Shisui start to say as the corners of her vision blurred and the world around her faded to nothing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Speaking of endings, I actually hadn't seen much of the Naruto series since way before it ended, but I recently caught up and this has been on my mind for a while. Not sure how much I'll be willing to rewatch to fact-check though, so bear with me. Just thought it'd be interesting to have a reincarnation story where the main character's not that into helping.


	2. Familiar Faces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which new Reina is hopeful new revelations will make life easier here, but is wrong.

"It seems," The Hokage himself said, "That you have discovered your Kekkei Genkai."

 _Great. Another ghost,_  Reina thought, before processing his words. "Excuse me, wait no. What?"

"They called it the Tomeru," Hiruzen, the one Hokage whose violent death Reina could vividly remember, yay, continued. "It's not an ability native to Konoha at all."

She'd woken up in a hospital bed just now, with a single nurse attending to her. Despite sporting a dizzying headache, Reina was told, quite sternly, to go see the Hokage immediately. One does not keep him and his giant hat waiting.

Being forced to visit the Hokage sure didn't seem like a good omen to Reina, but it's not like she didn't know what to expect.

It was the round, clay room she'd remembered from the series, though what stood out to her, firstly, was that the building was over seven stories tall and sported only one, hard-to-find staircase in the back; and secondly, that it smelt lightly of sandalwood in person.

Someone had snitched. Obviously, it was Shisui. He had already informed the teacher of what happened during their training session while she was unconscious, which had then warranted the order for her to go meet with their village leader and explain her side. She'd just finished recounting the story to the Hokage when he called in a strangely bespectacled blond scientist.

"There hasn't been a Tomeru user in decades," The scientist who had introduced herself as Shiho, said. "This Kekkei Genkai was only ever seen in the Kitani clan-" _She had a clan, too? Aw man, awesome._ "But it was thought to have died out since its users all took their own lives."

Reina paled. "What."  _Less awesome._

"Yes, unfortunately. The man who brought you to the village had handed our gatekeepers a book with some information on your clan and ability before he passed. It was written in a code, but I'd managed to crack it a while back."

Shiho pushed up her glasses back up her nose. Reina sympathized, as in her previous life she'd worn thick frames too, but now her vision was near perfect. One of the few small blessings of this life so far.

"You see, prolonged use of the Tomeru wanes not only on body but the mind. Overuse almost always guarantees the user will fall into a state of mental psychosis; overexhaustion, multi-organ failure, and even bodily paralysis had been cited as possible effects as well."

Okay, so, she hadn't even meant to activate it, and now they were telling her it could make her go crazy or even kill her? Literally one of her only goals this time around was not to die.

Shinobi, from what she could remember in the series, were already a vastly unstable bunch in the worst kinds of ways. And they got even more weird, like, really, weird, especially the higher you went up the ranks.

There was that one that went around screaming about youth and wearing green jumpsuits, another that summoned giant frogs and made it public knowledge that he wrote porn and spied on bathing women―oh, not to mention the fact that one of the most feared swordsmen on the entire continent was a walking, talking fish.

To think, amongst all of them,  _she'd_  be the one people would be watching out for the crazies later on.

No seriously, what the hell.

She was really starting to hate her life.

Unaware of her inner mental breakdown, Shiho went on.

"Your clan had lived deep in the mountains, isolated from others. It was said most of them weren't shinobi either. The Kitani were often born with underdeveloped chakra systems thanks to the weakened physical and mental states of its members, as the result of generations of their ancestors overusing their Kekkei Genkai."

Reina's eyes widened. She hadn't thought to measure her chakra system against others and see if hers had any flaws or weaknesses in comparison, but it'd felt fine when she'd used it at the Academy. That would really suck, if she found out it was underdeveloped, or even unusable, later on. It'd be like living in a world where everyone else is Superman and you're the only Jimmy Olsen.

"Your clan didn't let in visitors very often before they died out, so we don't know much else, but the information that man brought with him did include pictures. We have those here." Shiho pulled out a small, red leather-bound book, before pointing to a photograph.

All Reina could do was stare at the images with a thin veil of distance and even mild distaste. Like Reina, the clan members all had black hair and green eyes, but not a nice, sage green like Sakura's would be―theirs were kind of a muddy, dark forest green, with a lot of dirty brown in it; akin to a cesspool with hints of algae floating on top of it.

She'd once concocted something in one of her chemistry classes similar to the color, only to find it was both poisonous and foul-smelling. How nice.

To top it off, while some of the images held normal, everyday-looking people, most of the other photo subjects were gaunt, with dark circles painting pale skin surrounding wide, bulging eyes. They too easily reminded her of the pictures of crazed, isolated prisoners she'd read up on in a Psych class.

"But all it does is... Freeze time?" She'd remembered how everything had lost its color, and how no one except her and Shisui could move. That's what it was, right? It'd sure looked like she was freezing time. That could happen in the Naruto world.

She'd barely even had it activated for a minute. Yet apparently it took such a toll on the body to even do just that much.

Shiho frowned. "It's... Really much more complicated than that, but essentially, yes. We don't know much else about it or the man who brought you here, unfortunately. As you might have heard, he'd made sure any other secrets he may have held died along with him. We can't say if he was related to you or not, though the fact that he'd used an explosive seal meant he might have been a shinobi, though not one in our system."

The Hokage leaned forward over his desk. Big cheese's turn to speak now.

"We brought you here today to tell you that at your level, the Tomeru's not something to take lightly, and risking its use in combat isn't recommended; especially in its current state. And then there's the fact you can't hold it very long without affecting your body, and that even the slightest contact with another person while using the Tomeru unfreezes them with you."

Shiho nodded in agreement. "That especially is a problem, as bringing someone else in shortens the time you can use it even more. You saw so yourself―you were only able to use it all of thirty seconds. The most you could do now, without taking on too much permanent damage, would probably be a handful of minutes."

Wow, Reina thought. Did she just get the world's shittiest Kekkei Genkai? A handful of minutes was really not a lot.

(Though at least she wasn't an Aburame. She'd take going crazy over bugs crawling under her skin anyday.)

Reina also thought about how Shisui hadn't been frozen―his left hand had been pushing down on her chest, fingers splayed right underneath her collarbone. Huh. So even that little had been enough contact to drag him in.

"Okay, so I guess you'd like me to avoid overusing it then?" Reina said.

"Yes, actually," The Hokage folded his hands in front of him. "...Or if you'd like to take extra caution, avoid using it at all."

Reina frowned. Oh, this was an interesting point to debate. Sure, she liked not being crazy or dead, but she also knew that she should take what she could get in this world. If there was a way to train this power, it would at least help her step up a little in this world of much more impressive Kekkei Genkai.

Honestly, given how fights in Naruto played out, there was an edge to having the element of surprise when throwing a shitty, but unknown ability into the ring. And in battle, that could mean the difference between life and death for her. Perhaps she could only get a handful of minutes, but those minutes meant everything in the shinobi world.

"Can I try... Training with it, at least a little bit, first? Maybe there's something in that book that can help," Reina said. "I might even be able to find a way to extend the time I can use it... Before, you know, going insane," The Hokage's expression didn't change much at this, like he had been expecting her to argue back. Despite his warnings, it seemed he wasn't about to put up a fight.

It confused her until she thought about how the village was still at war, and much like her, couldn't afford to lose any advantages. He knew she was studying to be a shinobi and he wanted her power too, though not for himself. He wanted her to master it for the sake of protecting the village. He had done and was about to do a lot of things, some of them worse than others, just for that sake.

Okay, well, she could respect that. She was a numbers girl too, after all.

"I'm studying to be a kunoichi," She continued, even though she was pretty sure they stood on the same side of this debate. Just in case, though, she drove home her point. "And despite its drawbacks, this ability could be useful in battle. Isn't there a Fuuinjutsu that'll allow me to use it, but stop me when I'm about to overuse it and therefore avoid that damage Shiho was talking about?"

Hiruzen didn't look surprised at this suggestion either, instead making a low sound of affirmation in reply. "Well then, we could have someone write that seal-"

"No thank you, Hokage sir," She said immediately. "I don't trust any seals I didn't write myself."

Shiho looks horrified at her statement, though Reina'd thought she'd been trying her best to be polite.

The shinobi world depicted in the series was a dark one, and there were Hyuugas to Kuramas (the clan, not the chakra beast) who could tell you about the oppressing realities of a well-intentioned, but badly executed seal. And don't get her started on the Cursed Seals.

"Do you write seals?" Hokage asks, raising a brow dubiously at the apparent child in front of him. If only he knew.

"...Not really, not yet," Reina said, and this was true as she'd only been able to read up on it in the village library, never practice, because she was again, supposed to be five. She didn't know where to buy that stuff.

Little Reina'd been interested in fuuinjutsu for a while, even before regaining her memories―she'd seen it as her only connection to the man who'd brought her here to Konoha, as all she'd known about him was that he'd been capable of writing explosive seals. Very effective ones, it seemed.

And for the Reina that held her previous memories, she didn't have any qualms with learning the subject. In this world, they were a powerful asset, so powerful they could even subdue giant chakra beasts; plus the power to learn seals seemed to be the one thing came through intensive study here, not fighting. And studying, at least, she could do.

This could be a good opportunity to get access to the materials she needed to get started.

"But I want to soon. Wouldn't that be more convenient, if I did it myself? Those seals have to updated pretty often, right?" Thank god for her previous Naruto knowledge, because five-year-olds here probably wouldn't know that.

The Hokage and Shiho exchanged a glance.

"I'm not sure we can let an Academy-age child write their own seals unsupervised," He said after some pause. "Especially one to seal a Kekkei Genkai, well, that would be far too advanced without proper help. But if you really insist..." He glanced down at a photo on his desk, though Reina couldn't see it since it was turned away from her.

"I know an instructor who might be willing to teach you," He smiled.

Reina perked up at this. It was really, the first good news she'd probably gotten that lifetime.

"Really?"

"Really," He said. "But once she helps you write one, you have to make sure she is present when you implement it. And you can't use your Kekkei Genkai until then either. Understood?"

Reina nodded fervently. "Until I learn how to seal it properly, with supervision, I swear I won't use it at all," Reina said, not that she really knew what activated it in the first place besides fear for her life, which she couldn't say she had much control of.

"Very well then. I'll have someone send you notice about your new instructor later this week. In the meantime, though, I would avoid letting anyone else know about your ability."

"What about Shisui?" Reina said. "He already saw."

The Hokage nodded. "We've informed him of our desire to keep things quiet."

Awesome, Reina thought as she glanced at the door behind her, waiting for her cue to leave. The Hokage seemed to take the hint, and nods again with a wave of dismissal. Shiho handed her the little red book before she turned for the door.

"Oh, and Reina," The Hokage smiled as Reina glances back over her shoulder. "Though I expect you to train that power well, I hope you do stay out of trouble."

 _Well,_ Reina thought, palms a little sweaty as she walked out of his office.  _You and I both._

* * *

 

Okay, Shisui was annoying.

She had 21 years of an entire other life on him, plus her book smarts weren't exactly anything to sleep on in the first place―and yet _he_  was doing better than _her_  in class. She still had the mind of this life, the child Reina, battling against the more logical mind of her previous life, but right now both the adult and the child mind was absolutely infuriated.

It wouldn't have been such a sore spot either, if it weren't for the fact Reina only really had written scores to depend on for her class ranking. She sucked at taijutsu and oh god, don't get her started on genjutsu. It required far too much attention to the details of something she didn't even understand. She only really knew how to mold her own chakra thanks to previous Reina's handiwork in the first place.

As it was, Shisui was currently top of the class in almost all three categories (words like 'prodigy' and 'genius' were thrown around) while she was hanging on only by the thread of her superior academic intellect. Though she always beat him in written exams, it was not by as much as it should have been, all things considered.

 _What a prick,_  Reina thought, staring at him and his little Uchiha friends play-sparring from the classroom window. Then she felt a pang of guilt, knowing that everyone in that group would be very much dead in less than a decade, and her plans did not include stopping that event. She ducked her head, electing to refocus on her notes instead.

After the whole Tomeru fiasco, Reina started re-referencing the lengthy notes she'd written down on the Naruto universe immediately after she'd regained her memories. It was god awful, coming across an ability she hadn't seen in the original series, let alone _being_  the one to have it. Out of everyone, there should have been no surprises for her, and yet here she was.

As she thought, there was nothing in her notes even remotely referencing her Kekkei Genkai. It might just mean her clan's history hadn't been important to the original story, since almost none of its users were shinobi and their clan had died out ages ago anyway. Hopefully that was the reason, and not that she'd actually just missed the part where they were brought up in the series.

...There were a lot of fillers, okay?

"Say," A voice suddenly spoke softly from in front of her. "Are you okay?"

She looked up to see Shisui standing right before her desk. She could have sworn she'd just seen him outside. How'd he get in so fast?

He wore that bright smile again, and that along with the friendly tilt of his head told her that this boy was smarter than he let on. He wore a mask and he wore it well, effectively hiding the suspicion and wariness he'd shown towards her earlier while in her Tomeru.

But she knew it couldn't have left him already. It hadn't even left her.

"You weren't in class for a few days after... that," Shisui said, voice curious, with a hint of caution that Reina wouldn't have noticed if she weren't looking for it.

Reina had taken a few days off after the incident to get her bearings and look through that little red book Shiho had given her. She felt she deserved the break; it'd been a lot of revelations at once.

Shisui paused for Reina's reply, but upon receiving only silence, continued,

"Don't worry, they told me to keep things quiet, but I just wanted to know if-"

"I'm fine," Reina interrupted. "And yeah, I'm not supposed to use it for a while so there's no point in people knowing, anyway."

"You're not?"

Reina shook her head. "It takes too much of a toll on my body."

"Oh," Shisui rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "That's too bad." Reina might have expected relief, but she didn't hear any. She frowned at that. What had he wanted her to say, then? How the hell couldn't she figure out a five-year-old?

"Not really," Reina said. "I mean, I didn't realize I was from a clan, so I wasn't really expecting it. I'm fine going without it for now."

"I know, I just mean, it was pretty cool," Shisui continued, signature smile returning to his face. "Until you started coughing up blood, that is. Your written scores are pretty good too, that paired with that bloodline limit, you might be able to graduate early!"

Reina squinted. "Why would I want to do that?"

"Well, you get to be a shinobi sooner for one," Shisui said earnestly. "And it's a lot easier right now, since there's the war and they're short-handed. If you wait until later, they might make it harder to graduate early. That's why I'm going for it now, too."

Reina frowned at this. She remembered the graduation exam for Naruto's generation, at least, had been some sort of written exam and Henge Jutsu. She could pass the former with flying colors, but the latter required a bit more ninjutsu prowess than she currently had.

"I don't think I'm ready regardless. My ninjutsu could use some work before I take the graduation exam," Reina said, hoping to end this conversation at that.

It had the opposite effect, as there was now a gleam in Shisui's eyes. "Oh, if it's ninjutsu you need help with, I could teach you a few things!"

"It's okay," Reina said quickly. "I... I wouldn't know how to pay you back."

"How about this?" Shisui said. "You can tutor me in the stuff on the written exams in exchange. You're always beating me on them. That sound like a fair trade?"

Reina really hated the system here, posting grades up for everyone to see, but for the most part nobody spoke to her about where she ranked except for the teachers after an occasional benchmarking session. From what she'd remembered of little Reina's life before she got her old memories, Shisui had never taken an interest in her until that sparring incident, despite the weeks they'd already been in class together.

Still, she couldn't help but think Shisui was mostly safe to interact with. So long as he still got his eye pulled out by Danzo and tragically threw himself over that waterfall, nothing she did with him would affect canon. If anything, he was the safest of them all for her to interact with - any effect she'd have would be lost when he died.

Shisui was still giving her an enthused look now, the brightness of his smile no longer diminished by his apprehension towards her strange power, which was almost unfortunate given the situation. Reina isn't sure what to do to change the subject and get him off his back, besides agree.

"Okay," She said slowly. "Sure. Why not?"

Properly learning ninjutsu might do wonders for her plans to survive the upcoming invasions, and she'd probably find no better teacher her age than Shisui; the prodigy that ended up surpassing even Itachi.

Plus, she knew the war's end was coming within the next few years, since Obito already looked close to the age of when Kannabi Bridge happened, and therefore, the end of the war. That meant little chance of her ever having to fight in the front lines, even if she graduated early. Genin were rarely put on the battlefield.

"Awesome!" Shisui said with gusto, face lifting as the excitement in his voice grew almost contagious, before launching into a conversation about tutoring schedules. For a brief second, Reina had to fight to forget that despite his dark future, he was still, as of right now, a little boy that didn't know he was going to die.

 

* * *

 

Despite her collective 26 years of memories, Reina was realizing that she was in fact, kind of fucking stupid.

Standing in the doorway of the address she'd been told to go to for her fuuinjutsu lesson was a beautiful woman with what seemed like miles of bright red hair.

 _Uzumaki Kushina._ Of all people.

 _GHOSTS GHOSTS GHOSTS_ that small voice was screaming in her head.

"Hello!" Kushina smiled as Reina stood at her doorstep, jaw unhinged from her face as she gaped openly. "It's nice to meet you, Reina. The Hokage's told me about your situation. You're even cuter in person, I can't believe I finally have my own student, you don't know how long I've been looking-"

"Are you my new fuuinjutsu instructor?" Reina couldn't help but let some horror seep into her voice, hoping the older woman wouldn't notice.

Kushina's smile only widened at the question, beckoning Reina into her home with an outspread arm. The inside was just as Reina had seen in the show, though it seemed larger in person. Or maybe that was because her new body was just that small.

"Yes I am!" Kushina answered brightly. "My name is Kushina Uzumaki, but you can just call me Kushina. I can't tell you how happy I was when the Hokage told me about your request. I know a lot about seals but I had such a hard time finding any appropriate students to teach!" She gushed. "I kept asking Minato to keep an eye out for me but most of the shinobi in Konoha that were interested were too busy fighting in the war. I never thought to go younger in my search!"

Fuuinjutsu was more advanced than what most Academy students, even some genin, were taught, so that did make sense, but it couldn't have been that hard to find someone interested. She remembered Tenten had quite the arsenal of weapons at her disposal thanks to her skill with sealing―sure, maybe Tenten hadn't been born yet, but she couldn't have been the only other one.

Reina was ushered over to Kushina's kitchen table, where she'd already laid out some ink, scrolls, and brushes. These were the kind of things she wasn't able to afford on the allowance the village gave Academy orphans, not after all the weaponry and other gear she'd had to buy.

 _If only she'd been born some rich Daimyo's daughter in this life instead._ Reina sighed.

"So, we're here to write a seal for your Kekkei Genkai, is that correct?" Kushina asked cheerfully after setting herself, and a steaming cup of tea, down in front of Reina.

"Right," Reina said, still wondering how and why the Hokage had swung Kushina, of all people, as her instructor. Well, it was too late now. Kushina died too, so hopefully this wouldn't mess up the main storyline much. She tried to shake off her nerves with a roll of her shoulders before continuing, "I was hoping to get something that only seals the Kekkei Genkai away once I'm about to overexert it, not before."

"Got it," Kushina said with a firm nod. "But before we start on something that advanced, I'm going to teach you some basics..."

And so they set to work. Kushina wasn't a bad teacher, but Reina had to admit it reminded her of those classes in college where the professor was so good at what they did they didn't really know how to explain it to someone who wasn't as talented. Still, Reina was a bookworm, and studying through these scrolls had been the closest thing to academia she'd gotten outside of the Academy and she was eating it up.

Fuuinjutsu was a touch nut to crack; it was like combining both math and art into one subject. It seemed that different users might use different symbols when creating custom Fuuinjutsu, and Reina watched in horror as Kushina showed her one, but only one, that sported the signature Uzumaki swirl.

"Oh!" Kushina said a few hours later when the sun was low in the sky, suddenly getting up from her seat and practically skipping towards the door. "He's home early today!"

Reina's head shot up from where she was copying one of Kushina's seal exercises to see the redhead open the door to a warm greeting.

That was when she met eyes with Minato Namikaze for the first time.

He glanced back at her with the kindest, brightest blue eyes she had ever seen, and she immediately gulped down her guilt and looks away.

"Who do we have here?" Minato said with a smile, taking off his shoes and placing them by the doorway, before Kushina took his hand and dragged him over to where Reina is sitting in the kitchen.

"Hello," Reina said politely by way of introduction, hiding trembling fingers in her lap under the table, "My name is Reina." The urge to stab herself in the knee with one of the brushes and get out of there quickly was  _real_ , but what if instead of a hospital, they just healed her here? That would be worse.

"This is my husband, Minato," Kushina says, putting an arm on his shoulder. "He's a Jounin instructor himself, actually, so he's got three students himself. But of course, my student is the cutest of them all," Kushina winked. That was when the couple exchange a quick round of teasing.

"I thought you said Rin was cute too, though?"

"Of course, Rin was the most adorable little girl to ever exist, but she's all grown up now!"

"Rin might cry if she heard you calling her old like this."

"That's not what I meant and you know it!"

Reina doesn't know whether she should blush or cry at this picture of domestic bliss.

"Sorry, I've stayed pretty late, I'll just get out of your way-"

"Oh," Minato said, "Can't you stay for dinner, at least? We'd love to get to know you some more, now that you're going to be my wife's student."

Kushina nodded in agreement.

Hell no.

"I have some Academy homework I need to get to," Reina lied.

Minato's face fell a little, but she didn't care. She could literally imagine his incredibly graphic death. Yup. She was doing it right now.

"Oh, that's too bad," Kushina pouted. "Well, we'll just have to have you over another time!"

"That's right," Minato said, smiling again. "Since you're enrolled in the Academy, you should come meet my students some time as well. They can tell you all about life after graduation, if you're curious."

She wasn't, but from the way Kushina's eyes lit up, she had a feeling that meeting would happen one way or another.

"Sure," Reina nodded as Kushina gave her a big hug goodbye. "That'd be great."

Just her luck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may have noticed I'm not doing the honorifics for now. I might go back and put them in because I know how significant they are to the original source material, but I just don't remember who's calling who what in that show. I wonder if there's a chart somewhere.


	3. A Hint of Woe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reina's competitive side is all-consuming.

Gai practically shook her in greeting, and Reina wanted to inch away.

 _No,_  she suddenly realized. She needed to establish her dominance. She needed to  _shake him back_.

Kurenai and Asuma stared on as Gai and Reina continued to shake each other back and forth.

"You... You two can stop now," Kurenai said.

It had all started this morning.

Reina'd been so shitty at genjutsu, that even Shisui (who was literally a genjutsu genius) couldn't help her, despite all the 6am training sessions they'd dedicated to it (sadly, even weekends started early for shinobi).

In her defense, he was an Uchiha. They were genetically gifted in the subject. He could never truly understand her plight.

So she'd set out for a new genjutsu teacher, because as much as she didn't want to influence canon, she was super petty and tired of being outscored by kids decades younger than her. Plus, she'd need the extra points to graduate early.

The problem was, not that many people  _did_  genjutsu in Konoha. It required a lot of chakra control and intelligence. Guess that didn't come in spades here.

So when she'd noticed Kurenai and Asuma walking through town one morning, she took her chance. Though Asuma was a ghost, it's not like she hadn't already broken the rules about interacting with those. Of course, there was the problem regarding the fact that Kurenai would actually live. But she was such a minor, minute character, would getting a few measly lessons from her really derail the main plot?

She hoped not, because she'd gone ahead and asked anyways.

"I'm... Not really good enough to teach somebody else, I think," Kurenai said as Reina sat herself across the table at a tea shop.

"Please," Reina said. "I've heard you're like, a future genjutsu master," This wasn't true, but Reina remembered Kurenai's skill in the series. In the five minutes of screen time she'd had, she'd executed the illusionary techniques better than most. Well, except that one time Itachi knocked her out. Anyways.

Kurenai blushed at this, and Asuma chuckled, giving the red-eyed girl an affirmative pat on the back.

 _Just give in, girl,_  Reina thought. Then she had an idea.

"I'll trade you," Reina spoke suddenly. "Storage seals for lessons?"

Kurenai blinked. "You can write storage seals?"  _At your age?_  went the unspoken question at the end of her sentence.

Reina thanked god she wasn't actually five.

"I can. I have someone teaching me how to, and they're really good." Reina said. Storage seals weren't exactly rare, but they were expensive, especially during the war. That's why Kushina had thought to give Reina some lessons on those as part of her foundational seal-writing lessons.

Kurenai and Asuma shared a glance. The boy grinned around the toothpick in his mouth, before saying, "Deal."

Kurenai hadn't been the one to reply, which Reina thought was kind of weird, but maybe that's just because she didn't have any friends of her own. Kurenai seemed not to have minded it, only smiling at Reina in affirmation. Then Gai had shown up after seeing them sitting there, and introduced himself to Reina with shouts of youth and violent shakes; and here they were.

She was at least five years younger than Gai, so shaking him back hadn't done much, but he'd been surprised nonetheless.

"I APPROVE YOUR YOUTHFUL ENERGY!" Gai was still shouting as Asuma pulled him away. Reina was probably the only one that had ever greeted Gai back like that, but her competitive edge had gotten the best of her. For some reason, she'd hated the idea of being out-shaken.

"You too," Reina called back as she and Kurenai set out to leave the tea shop and start their genjutsu lesson. "You too, Gai."

"You guys are weird," Asuma commented, still dragging Gai away.

 

* * *

 

Between seal lessons with Kushina after class, and training with Shisui on the weekends, and genjutsu lessons with Kurenai every odd weekend, Reina didn't really have time to add more to her plate.

But still, she was really hoping to spend some time practicing her Tomeru today.

Sure, she and Kushina hadn't finished writing the seal, but she was getting antsy. Apparently the war wasn't going well for Konoha—she'd overheard a group of shinobi outside a bar bemoaning how the tides of war were starting to favor Iwa. Apparently, their enemies were well on their way to winning the whole thing already.

She couldn't remember if that had happened or not in the original series, but the resigned tone of the shinobi told her things were getting bad. A part of her wondered if perhaps her being here had some sort of butterfly effect she didn't know about it. Maybe they'd actually end up losing the war to Iwa...

Just in case, she wanted to be ready for a worst-case scenario.

Besides, it was the first day in a while both Shisui and Kurenai were busy, so might as well take advantage of it.

Unfortunately, the training grounds she and Shisui usually went to was closed today, so she thought it might be fun to try out the renowned Third Training Ground from the series instead.

She should've realized that would be a mistake.

"Uh," Reina said. "...Hi."

"Hi," Kakashi said back, dryly.

Oh no.

Kakashi was a very, very big problem. Reina had already reconciled with the fact that she would have to allow herself to interact with ghosts and minor characters, as the village was only so large. But Kakashi, no. He was a pretty vital character to the main storyline; plus, he was far from a ghost. He'd far outlive everyone standing in this field.

"Reina!" Minato had greeted warmly when he finally noticed her, still frozen in the spot where Kakashi had found her.

Kakashi'd come across her first, awkwardly stalking the perimeter when Reina'd realized the grounds was occupied, though she hadn't realized by  _whom_  yet.

Then, of course, Kakashi had mostly ignored her except for that quick 'hi' until Minato showed up. Then Obito and Rin.

"Reina, these are my students," Minato said, gesturing to the teenagers. "Kakashi, Obito, and Rin. Team, this is Kushina's pupil."

"Hi," Reina said again, dumbly.

"Hi Reina! It's nice to meet you," Rin greeted kindly, as Obito grinned.

"Hey, are you that Academy brat Kushina keeps talking about?" Obito asked. "She said you're even set to graduate early!"

Reina frowned. It was true, she and Shisui were on track to make it to the senior class by next month. It was not, however, something she had told Kushina directly, so...

Oh god, was Kushina talking to her teachers?

Minato gave her a sympathetic look.

"She likes to get... very involved," Minato said as way of explanation.

What the hell.

"Just make sure if you do end up being a prodigy, don't become an asshole like this guy!" Obito winked, jerking his thumb at Kakashi.

"Obito!" Rin admonished. "Language! She's only five."

"Oh, sorry," Obito said, rubbing his neck in a way that kind of reminded her of Shisui. "I forgot."

"How can you forget?" Kakashi said, ignoring Obito's earlier insult. "She's so short."

"Hey," Reina said. She was  _sensitive_  about her height.

"What brings you here, Reina?" Minato asked, probably thinking he was stopping a fight, but Reina wasn't about to engage with Kakashi more than she had to.

"I just wanted to train a bit," Reina said. "If you guys are using the field I can just find another-"

"Oh no, it's fine," Minato interrupted. "We can share. We're just running some drills, so we'll only need the East side. Are you okay with the West?"

"Uh, sure," Reina said. The field looked big enough. They could easily hash out their own training exercises without running into each other. Besides, the other grounds were harder to book last-minute.

"Great!" Minato said with a smile, before ushering his team back over to their side.

She'd made sure to stay the hell away as they trained, stuck to the very edges of the West side as she practiced some new hand seals.

According to the little red book Shiho had given her, the Kitani were one of the many clans that had specific hand seals to activate their Kekkei Genkai. If she could just get them right, maybe she could focus her chakra and squeeze a few more minutes out of her Tomeru...

She'd literally spend the next twenty minutes failing to make much improvement.

"I give up," Reina mumbled to herself, before she decided to start working on chakra control instead. It was the foundation of genjutsu, so Kurenai had given her a few basic lessons, but there was one in particular Reina really wanted to try.

Water walking.

It was like, the coolest thing ever when they'd been able to do it in the series, so she'd been excited to try it. Though, her chakra control wasn't that great yet, she'd already gone through the leaf lesson, so how much harder could this be?

On the West side of the training grounds stood a small river, so she'd decided to start there. She started by channeling the chakra to her feet—Kurenai had told her the importance of a thorough, even layering covering the foot—and slowly placed them on the water.

It felt like when two magnets of the same charge were put next to each other; like some force was repelling her from actually touching the water, but still letting her put her weight on it.

She unfortunately, only got it right on one foot.

"Damn," She cursed as her left fell into the water. Her right foot stayed afloat, but she was having trouble balancing on just the one while trying to get the other up.

She'd still only managed to get one foot to work as Obito suddenly appeared. Kakashi was behind, only moments later.

"Whoa," Obito said. "You're already doing that stuff? The Academy sure got intense after we left. Must be the war."

"No, it's not that," Reina said, "I'm doing this on my own to help my chakra control. I need it if I'm going to graduate early," She added.

Even Kakashi was looking now, raising an eyebrow at her work.

"You should've mastered Tree Climbing first before you attempted Water Walking," Kakashi said. "Water Walking requires you to be able to focus an extremely consistent stream of chakra to your feet. Tree Climbing helps you form the foundation for that, which you don't seem to have."

"Oh. Uh, got it," Reina said, avoiding his gaze. "I'll do that first next time."

 _Don't talk to him too much,_  she reminded herself.  _He's too important to the main storyline. You could accidentally change something!_

"We're pairing off," Obito said. "We came to ask if you'd mind if Kakashi and I spar on this side? Minato and Rin are taking that."

"Sure," Reina said. "I only need the river right now anyways."

There was a moment when Kakashi had accidentally stepped a little too close to the river and Reina slowly backed away downstream, until there was at least a few feet of distance. Obito, who had been the one to push Kakashi back that far in their sparring, frowned.

He'd probably noticed it the four other times Reina had done that too. Otherwise, he wouldn't have asked this next question:

"Hey Reina, are you... Avoiding Kakashi?" Obito spoke suddenly, throwing Reina off-balance at his sudden appearance. She fell straight into the water, and glared up at him before realizing what he'd asked.

Kakashi was right besides him, lowering his kunai. The silver-haired boy's expression was still unchanged and bored-looking, while Obito's had grown more curious.

"Hey guys," Rin suddenly appeared behind them as well. Everyone turned to look at her. "Minato had to attend to something, so he told us we could go home once you're done."

Rin then looked down at Reina.

"Why are you sitting in the river like that?" She exclaimed. "You'll catch a cold."

"Oh yeah," Reina realized as Rin extended a hand to help her up. Reina took it, grateful for both the help and the distraction.

Unfortunately, Obito didn't take the bait.

"Wait, you didn't answer my question," Obito said. "Are you avoiding Kakashi or not?"

All three of them were looking at her now, Rin's features painted in confusion.

Okay Reina, be careful not to mess this up.

"Yes," Reina said immediately, then slapped her hands over her mouth.

Curse her loose, child-like lips!

"Why?" Rin asked, now looking concerned.

"Did he offend you when he said that stuff about your Water Walking earlier?" Obito asked.

Reina shook her head.

"Well if it's not that, then why?" Obito exchanged a glance with Rin, who frowned.

Kakashi still didn't look interested, but Reina couldn't tell if he was pretending. And then Reina realized he probably did still get a lot of hate for being the White Fang's son. Maybe he was just used to it.

Okay, that sucked. She'd better make it clear it wasn't that. She was looking at Rin as she spoke, so she blamed her for why her subconscious immediately went to this next excuse.

"I think he's cute," Reina blurted out.

Silence.

" _You too?!_ " Obito groaned, first one to break it. "What does everyone  _see_  in this guy?!"

"Too?" Reina squinted. "Do... Do you have a crush on him too, Obito?"

Obito's face flushed crimson at this, and even Kakashi made a sound like he was choking on air.

"N...NO!" Obito shouted, pained and embarrassed. "It's not me, it's—"

He glanced at Rin, whose eyes were wide as saucers.

Good thing Reina'd already known, or else  _that_  would have made it painfully obvious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you think Reina won't start making a ton of embarrassing Obito/Kakashi jokes from hereon out, you're wrong.
> 
> Fun fact: It took me so long to find a clip to confirm the Third Training Grounds is where Minato takes his team. I might actually have to rewatch this entire series. But still, trying to play within canon is really fun for me.


	4. Luckless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mistakes are made. So many mistakes.

So, today Reina found out that Iruka Umino was in her new class.

Until then, she'd thought it would be a happy morning, considering it was well-anticipated. It'd taken six whole months before she and Shisui had finally been moved to the graduating class.

She said finally, because quite frankly, the first year's coursework had gotten boring and she was going crazy spending all day with five-year-olds. Especially when her own mind was much older.

With the exception of Shisui, who was way too smart for his age and it was freaking her out.

Like with this Iruka situation.

"No way. I don't want to." Reina said. They were sitting under the same tree they always did, eating their lunch in solidarity. Kushina had once offered to make her a lunchbox, which Reina had refused, though she was tempted; surely the redhead could have done better than Reina's attempts at lopsided rice balls.

But in lieu of their usual routine, Shisui, for some odd reason, had suddenly started insisting they invite Iruka to eat lunch with them today.

Reina did not like this idea, because Reina had actually been trying really hard to keep her distance since discovering he was sitting in the row adjacent to theirs.

(Unfortunately, she couldn't exactly tell Shisui the reasons  _why_  it was so important for her not to interact with the ponytailed boy.)

Hence, the arguing.

"Why not?" Shisui whispered back. Iruka was already eating with his own group of friends only a few feet away. "You never hang out with the other kids."

Uh yeah, because they were dumb.

"At this rate, people will think it's because you're unfriendly."

Well, they wouldn't be wrong.

"And despite what you're saying, you keep staring at him during class. Like you know him from somewhere."

"I don't stare at him."

Reina was lying. She knew she stared at a lot of the characters, because she couldn't help it. Seeing them in person was weird.

But hell; Shisui, of all people, wasn't allowed to start figuring her out.

"You definitely do. It's only a matter of time before he starts to notice, so we might as well make friends with him. C'mon, what will one lunch hurt?"

"Shisui," Reina said, ready to pull out the big guns. "Are you trying to tell me just my company isn't enough for you?"

"Wait, what? No, that's not what I meant-"

"I knew it," Reina feigned offense. "You'd rather be eating with the other Uchiha kids instead of me, wouldn't you?"

"I never said-"

They'd been training together for a while now, and while she was thankful for his help in training and improving her scores, it killed her that she'd yet to get the upper hand on him in either taijutsu or ninjutsu, even once.

No matter how hard she pushed herself during training, the other  _five-year-old_  would always manage to best her in the end. So, it was nice to finally see the prodigy somewhat flustered for once in his life. He was even raising his voice a little.

Wow, was she petty.

"And I bet you think by dumping Iruka on me, it'll be easier to ditch me later on!"

"No Reina, really, you know I wouldn't-"

"Uh, sorry," A voice said from behind them. "Are you guys talking about me?"

They both turned to see Iruka, nose-scar and all, had walked over behind them. It was unclear how much he'd heard, but the look on his face was distinctly uncomfortable.

Okay, even she could admit this one was her fault.

 

* * *

 

They tried hard to forget the incident until a few weeks later when, just to make matters worse, Reina and Iruka ended up paired together to share a target during kunai practice.

As soon as he saw her approaching, Iruka immediately dropped all his kunai.

"What." Reina said blankly. "Why would you do that."

"T-they slipped!"

Iruka immediately went to pick them up. Reina didn't move to help as she watched him carefully, trying to figure out the older boy's reaction.

"Say," she said slowly, "You didn't happen to overhear everything the other day, did you?"

"Um..." The flustered look on his face was all she needed. Oh sweet little Iruka boy. Such an open book.

Was it really too much to have asked Iruka forgot that incident?

"Oh. Well, sorry you got caught in the middle of our argument," Reina tried to mend. "But we really didn't mean to drag you into it. Shisui was just trying to force me to make some new friends for once or something. Can we just forget about it?"

Iruka looked at her hesitantly for a moment, before smiling.

"Okay. But uh... Actually, I was thinking it  _would_  be nice to eat lunch together sometime," He said brightly. "I mean, I know you're both a lot younger and new to the class so... It might be good if someone helped introduce you to some of the other guys, right?"

Reina blinked as Iruka continued.

"I usually eat with Kasuga and the others in the courtyard. Why don't you two join us next week? Of course, only if you want to though!" He added that last part hurriedly when Reina started squinting at him.

Huh. So he was just as nice in person as he'd been in the show, even as a kid. Guess it wasn't much of a surprise.

"Sure," Shisui grinned, suddenly appearing besides Reina.

She yelped in indignation before he elbowed her in the ribs. Where the hell had he come from?!

Though she'd known he'd earn a reputation for his speed later on in life, he was still five right now. Couldn't he like, get faster  _slower_?

"That'd be great, Iruka!" Shisui continued, glancing at Reina, a mischievous new smile she'd never seen before on his face. "Reina agrees, right Reina?"

"Uh, well, not r-"

"Perfect!" Shisui interrupted, throwing his arms around Reina and Iruka's shoulders. "Then it's settled then."

If only Reina'd known then that this would only be the first of many incidents when it came to Shisui's terrorizing of her social life.

 

* * *

 

It was a typical Konoha Sunday.

Reina was illegally practicing her Kekkei Genkai in a training ground she'd illegally broken into with a half-assed seal she'd illegibly written.

Typical Sunday.

Actually it wasn't, and Reina was sweating bullets because she knew she'd be in all kinds of trouble if she got caught. Especially after she'd promised the Hokage, of all people, she wouldn't practice her Tomeru without the seal properly written.

But, oh well.

Though Kushina'd been trying her best to quickly help Reina build the skills necessary to write a seal that could curb her Kekkei Genkai's adverse affects, since seal-writing was actually a very intensive, exact art, the going had been slow so far.

Recently, whispers about the tide of the war turning in Iwa's favors had grown defeaning, and Reina was getting impatient. Just in case events really had changed and Konoha would lose the war, she wanted to have any advantage she could get.

Illegal Tomeru practice it was, then.

She'd broken into Zeroth Training Ground since it was, well, illegal to be there, and meant nobody else would be there to bother her. It'd actually been fairly easy, since it went apparently unguarded. Nice one there, Konoha.

"Okay, let's do this," Reina said, trying to hype herself up.

She'd written a really rudimentary version of one of the basic chakra-regulating seals Kushina had taught her on her wrist, hoping that she'd at least gotten that right. Of course, she wasn't supposed to write seals on her own yet, but she wanted to test a theory that by using the seal to regulate the amount of chakra that could be pumped into her Tomeru at a time, she could get a little more leeway in the time it took before her chakra ran out or her body fell apart, you know, whichever one came first.

Staring out at the field, praying it wouldn't be the last thing she ever saw (it was kind of sad-looking, with large pockets of dead grass. Also, she was pretty sure she could identify like, six poisonous plants right on front of her), she activated her Tomeru, using the hand seals she'd finally mastered. She'd been practicing the hand seals often lately, so that she might at least squeeze out an extra few minutes once properly activating the ability.

As expected, everything around her froze to a standstill; trees, grass, animals, and even the wind ceased their movement as their colors flickered away into the black-and-white world she knew.

She didn't really have anything else to do now but wait, so she took a walk.

According to the little red book she'd been given, the record for lasting in the Tomeru without any bodily damage was about eight minutes. Unfortunately, clocks didn't exactly work in her frozen world, so Reina had to laboriously count the seconds as she took her quick stroll through Konoha. She would make sure to deactivate the ability well before even reaching four minutes.

She'd have to be dumber than Naruto (no offense, unborn future world-savior) to risk damaging her health and/or sanity in a place where having all the advantages in the world  _still_  wasn't enough to guarantee survival. Cough, Shisui, cough, Minato, cough, everyone that dies later on really.

The soundless walk through Konoha was nice, if not a little eerie. Kurenai and co. were probably further in town, where Reina wouldn't have time to get to before the Tomeru was up, but she'd still spotted some familiar faces from her old class milling about the outer streets or loitering near sweets stand.

She could see Iruka with his parents through the window at a fabric store, their hands frozen in the air as his mother held out a piece of cloth for Iruka to touch. Maybe she was sewing him a new shirt or something.

The Hokage Monument was to her left as she went, almost more majestic when drained of all color, though at her current height and distance she was just looking up their noses.

She spotted the Uchiha compound next, though from a distance, painted red and white fans gleaming in the sun.

The compound was different than she'd remembered from the series; bigger, and much more centrally located. Reina didn't know why they moved locations in the original series in the first place, but that was something to ruminate on later.

 _Wonder if Shisui's home,_  Reina thought idly, before returning her focus to the task at hand.

She hadn't expected her Tomeru's reach to go this far anyways, and wondered if she could get Kushina to help her write a proximity seal as well. Maybe the sheer size of the ability was what took the most strain on her chakra system.

Reina felt like she hadn't been walking long before her time was up. At 230 seconds, she rushed into the nearest alleyway, with her hands up and ready to deactivate the Tomeru.

At 235 seconds, she was already feeling the familiar pulse of her chakra as she readied it for action.

And at four minutes exactly, at the 240th second, her hands formed the seal to start the deactivation.

Nothing happened.

She tried again, to the same result.

Nothing.

A few more tries now.

Again, nada.

It wasn't working.

"Oh my god," Reina said to herself. " _Am_  I actually dumber than Naruto?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah probably


	5. Consequences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karma's speed can't be dictated.

"Shit shit shit shit," Reina cursed, now running through town. She'd lost track of how many minutes it'd been now, but she was pretty sure she'd just wasted at least 30 seconds on her mini panic attacks. She was still hyperventilating, which didn't help the running, but it was literally a race against time right now.

Not literally, actually, but whatever.

This was so her fault. God, she should've just dropped out of the Academy and never touched another jutsu as long as she lived.

Even now, the Tomeru had failed to deactivate itself like it did the first time she'd accidentally prompted it, possibly due to the use of the hand seals, though she wasn't sure; all that mattered now was that she's stuck, suspended in time, having lost her only other method of deactivating it.

She'd have to find the Hokage, or Shiho or  _someone_ who knew about her power, and get them to get her out of this.

But even at her fastest speed, the Hokage's office was kind of far, and she didn't even know where Shiho lurked. Kushina then? Her house was on the other side of town too, though.

Glancing in front of her, she looked upon the Uchiha compound and groaned.

"Well," Reina said. "As far as freaky Kekkei Genkai go, at least they'd understand."

 

* * *

 

She was in the clan head's house, because honestly, despite the severity of the situation, she'd somehow gotten lost.

This compound was  _big_ , okay?

And Shisui had been balls hard to find.

She'd searched all around the compound, even ducking into a few homes like the absolute creep she was, before she came across a big house smack dab in the middle. That was when she found herself staring into the face of a frozen, black-and-white, Fugaku Uchiha.

And somehow, that in itself wasn't already the worst part of the situation she was in.

"Okay, this sucks," Reina said from the floor. Seeing Fugaku's face had shocked her so much, she'd fallen into the room in a heap after losing her balance from where she'd been perched on the kitchen's windowsill, trying to gauge if Shisui was there.

Her toe was now inches, no,  _centimeters_ , from touching the edge of the robe that the clan head wore. He'd been standing at the sink with a glass of water in hand, Itachi and Mitoko visible from the open door, eating lunch or breakfast or whatever in the next room.

One wrong move, a slight accidental nudge; really, any contact at all, and she'd accidentally pull Fugaki into the Tomeru. Which would not only mean expediting the adverse effects of her ability, but also reveal her Kekkei Genkai to him. She'd kind of hoped to keep that secret a little longer.

Slowly, she inched away on the floor, crawling away from Fugaku into the living room where his family was eating.

"Hi," Reina said, still crawling on her elbows as she glanced up at Itachi's unmoving toddler face. He had his fork in a piece of cake, and Reina couldn't help but wonder why his mother let him get away with eating so many sweets. Surely the  _Uchihas_  were stricter with their children's diets than that. "Almost really got screwed over by your family here, but, hey, guess we'll both know what that's like soon enough," Reina chuckled as she pulled herself up by the table's edge.

Her laughter stopped as she realized, wow, that joke was kind of dark.

She just couldn't help herself.

Karma acted fast, as inexplicably, the just-frozen Itachi's eyes went wide as the color drained back into his face.

Now she  _really_  wasn't laughing.

"Wha..." The boy started to whine, turning to the stilled Mikoto. "Mother?"

...Oh no.

As Itachi's fork dropped from his grip, Reina look down at where her palm was spread on the table, and realized she'd just brushed fingers with Itachi's other hand.

Oh god no.

And now he was unfrozen, staring with horror at his unmoving family.

"Uh," Reina said, quickly standing to her feet. "This is a dream."

And then she ran out, tail between her legs.

Reina's head was spinning as she left the house, now frantically searching the outskirts of the compound before finally happening upon Shisui at a training grounds at the outer edge, near the walls.

"I can't believe how hard you were to find," Reina complained. "I'm probably at like ten minutes by now! Plus, I'm pretty sure I accidentally saw an old lady  _bathing_."

She decided not to mention the Itachi incident. Hopefully, that would just never come back to her. Reina was great at denial.

"That's unfortunate," Shisui agreed, though his face was tight. Reina had pulled him into the Tomeru—much to his surprise, as he'd been mid-throw during a kunai practice session—before quickly explaining the situation.

"Okay so, we need to figure out a way for you to deactivate this," Shisui said. "We should go to the Hokage first."

"There isn't enough time!" Reina said. "By the time we get there—"

Shisui grabbed her by the waist before they were suddenly in the Hokage's office.

"—what the fuck." Reina said.

At least Shisui had the manners to look a _little_  worn out. He'd just covered at least four miles with his Shunshin, and with both of them in tow, that crazy little speedster.

"Can you handle pulling three people into the Tomeru?" Shisui asked, still panting quietly. "I don't think you've said anything about what happens then."

"Actually, it'll be four now," Reina mumbled.

"What?"

"Nothing." Reina shrugged tensely. "Let's just give it a try. What other options are there, anyways?" She leaned over the Hokage's desk and bopped him on the nose.

Hiruzen blinked, color spreading over his features as his eyes were granted sight into the world of the Tomeru. They widened, taking it all in with a glance, before he spoke,

"Reina? Is this your...?"

"Yeah," Reina said. Obviously, the Hokage had seen much stranger things in his time (even if this was the first time he'd seen the world stand still without color) so he recovered quickly.

"You weren't supposed to use it without the seal," He frowned. "Kushina would've informed me if you were ready."

"Uh, yeah, it's a long story. But that's why we're here." Reina said. "Now that it's activated I... Can't really  _deactivate_  it."

"No?" The Hokage repeated, "I see. But you said the power deactivated before once you fell unconscious, correct?"

Reina nodded. "I mean, I think so. When I woke up everything was back to normal."

"As soon as she was down, the effects were gone," Shisui added.

"I see," The Hokage stood, walking towards Reina. "Then it seems that's all we can do for now."

"What's all we can do for now?" Reina asked, before the Hokage gestured to Shisui.

"I've been told your father has already taught you how do it properly," The Hokage said. "Don't worry, she'll be safe."

Surprise passed over the boy's face before he grimaced, but nodded, turning to Reina.

"Sorry about this," Shisui apologized.

"Sorry for what-" Reina said, looking at him, then at the Hokage, then back at him—

Only to find herself suddenly staring into bright red eyes.

She was on the floor in less than a second.

 

* * *

 

_Drip._

Reina groaned quietly. The sound was deafening to her sensitive ears.

_Drip. Drip._

Finally, irritation got the best of her and Reina awoke from a dreamless sleep. Her first thought was to wonder if the noise was coming from the leaky faucet in her kitchen. But this sound is tighter, more controlled.

She turned her head to see an IV. Reina's not sure why that would be in her room, but at least now she's found the source of the sound.

Then her vision is suddenly obstructed by giant, bright blue eyes, far too close to her own.

" _Yeaaagh!_ " Reina shouted before she reeled back—or tried to, only to find her body was not obeying her commands.

"Reina!"

She snapped her gaze away from the blue eyes to see a familiar redhead standing by her bedside, hand reaching out towards her.

The white walls and line of empty cots behind her indicated Reina was in a hospital room, which struck Reina as odd.

Then the events of that day came rushing back to her.

Oh, yeah.

"It's okay Reina," Kushina said soothingly, rubbing Reina's shoulder. "I'm here. You're safe now."

Her words had the opposite effect. Reina froze as the terrifying realization dawned upon her.

She couldn't feel Kushina's hand on her shoulder.

She couldn't feel  _anything_  below her neck.

"I can't—" Reina tried to catch a single full breath but failed, "Can't move!" She's only able to move her head, glancing around the room frantically. The blue eyes are gone now, but they are the least of her worries.

"I know Reina, but it'll be okay," Kushina didn't turn as woman in a nurse's uniform hurried into the room. "I'll explain soon, but let's let the nurse do a quick scan first, okay?"

"She woke up just now?" The nurse asked, placing her hands on the side of Reina's face.

Reina can see the green glow of chakra from the corner of her eyes and the effect immediately calms her, though her thoughts still rattled in her head as she tried to piece together what she could.

The nurse was a medical-nin, meaning she was probably in Konoha Hospital.

And the last thing she remembered was staring into Shisui's Sharingan, then... Nothing.

Reina couldn't help but think Shisui was awfully young to have a Sharingan already. His sixth birthday was coming up in a few weeks, yes, but that still must have made him younger than Itachi when the other Uchiha had gotten his. And in her brief glimpse she'd counted not one, but two, tomoe.

The kid hadn't even graduated from the Academy yet.

"We're working on helping her with the paralysis," The nurse said, interrupting Reina's thoughts before propping up her back with a pillow. Reina said nothing as she's moved around like a rag doll. "But as for the rest... Nothing showed up on our scans, but just in case, you'll want to check with a Yamanaka and see if there was any permanent damage done to her mind."

"A Yamanaka?" Kushina said, "Is it that bad?"

There was a painful static between her ears, accented by the deafening drip of the IV. How long had she been out to warrant needing one?

"I don't need a Yamanaka," Reina said loudly. The last thing she wanted was someone rooting around in her mind—imagine if Inoichi came across his own death in there. Awkward. "And did you say  _paralysis_?"

"Reina," Kushina's voice was soft as her eyes met Reina's gaze. "Shiho mentioned it to you before right, some of the effects of overexerting the Tomeru?"

Reina nodded slowly. Oh god, she had. The scientist had mentioned a few things, including... Bodily paralysis.

_Oh._

"I-is it permanent?" Reina asked slowly, the words trembling in her mouth as the severity of the situation starts to hit her. Kushina glanced at the nurse, who took her turn to speak.

"There might be a chance we could reverse the effects. Medicine has come a long way since the last of your clan died, and since most of your symptoms are born from how the Tomeru draws your chakra too rapidly, that seal you wrote actually did help," Kushina frowned at this part, her mouth a tight, hard line. It is jarring, coming from the woman who was usually all disarming smiles and quick, but playful tempers. "But it was so badly written, it wasn't by much."

Ouch.

"You'd pulled a lot of people into the Tomeru, and you were in there for a while," The nurse continued. Reina would have to assume this woman was now one of the people 'in the know' regarding her Tomeru. She wondered if it was the Hokage himself who told her. "It drained your chakra much more quickly than it could be replenished. But the Tomeru is unique in that when the user runs out of chakra, it then draws power from draining the both the body and the mind of function first,  _before_  it starts depleting your life force. That's the only reason you're still alive right now. And since the paralysis is related to chakra exhaustion, and not any blunt trauma, our medical-nin are developing a way to try to reverse the effects; but we're going to have to wait until after the surgery to know for sure."

Reina sucked in a deep breath.

This is not what she expected. Sure, she'd thought she'd get a stern lecture from the Hokage and maybe a scolding from Kushina after what she'd done; but not this. The Naruto characters made it look so easy, testing out dangerous jutsu and bouncing back like it was nothing.

What was she thinking, taking lessons from the characters on a kid's show?

"But... There is a chance?" Reina asked hopefully.

"Of course," Kushina's face returns almost to normal, an encouraging smile painting her features. "We'll stop at  _nothing_  until you're all better, Reina."

Reina was alone in this world, without parents or family, with only the distant knowledge of belonging to a clan long dead. She'd felt bad for all the times she'd refused Kushina's motherly affection; this woman's support was the only thing keeping her sane right now.

"And once you're better," Kushina said, voice somewhat lighter as she shook her head, "We'll talk about how reckless you were! Really, writing a seal on your own... And bad one at that. Do you know how scared I was when I heard?"

"Haha," Reina said weakly, though she didn't feel like this was a particularly appropriate time for jokes. Plus, she was like, really thirsty.

Kushina must've noticed because she immediately jumped to her feet. "I'll go get you some water. Do you want anything to eat?"

"No thank you," Reina said, wondering how she'd even eat in her state. Guess Kushina was offering to feed her, too. "Just water would be nice."

Kushina nodded, squeezing Reina's hand—not that she could feel it—before almost jogging out of the room. "Be back in a minute!"

The nurse smiled at Reina before excusing herself to retrieve a new IV for her.

As Reina's eyes fell onto the empty cot next to hers, she couldn't help but think about how deep the shit she was in went.

She'd remembered when Rock Lee had been heavily injured in the series, and barely regained use of his limbs after getting the famed Tsunade to do his surgery. Sure, maybe her injuries were more chakra-related and easier for the medical-nin here to work with, but they still weren't as good as Tsunade, and Reina wasn't exactly in the state to go out and find the Sannin right now anyways. Would she really be okay? Would she have to quit being a shinobi? Did she even mind that idea?

Her mind was still reeling as a small, yellow head of hair peeked out from under the cot she was staring at.

"Hey," A blonde little boy greeted, suddenly jumping up from his hiding spot. "Are the adults gone yet?"

Reina blinked. "Uh, yeah?" The room was empty, despite the free beds. It was probably for the sake of privacy since her power was supposed to be kept under wraps, though it did seem wasteful during a time of war.

"Awesome!" The boy said, jumping to his feet. He looked to be around her age, though a bit taller. In his arms were several rolls of white gauze. "I've been waiting all day to pull this prank! But the adults would've told on me if they knew I stole these. Keep it a secret, okay?"

Reina blinked again. "Prank?"

"Yup, that's right," The boy grinned, holding up the bandages. "I'm going to turn the Hokage Monument into a mummy!"

So many things weren't adding up.

He had blue eyes, the same blue eyes that had suddenly appeared before Reina when she'd first woken up. Yet he'd disappeared right after, and nobody else had mentioned seeing him. Kushina had been sitting there the entire time and made no sign of noticing.

And the other thing was that he was eerily familiar.

So incredibly, uncomfortably familiar, in all the wrong ways.

"Hey, kid," Reina asked fearfully, "What's your name?"

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki! Nice to meet you!"

As if today could get any worse.

"No."

"...What?"

"No," Reina said, eyes glazed over in shock. "You... You can't be Naruto. He's not even born yet." And the kid in front of Reina already looked like he was her age.

"But," He pouted, confusing pooling in those giant, round eyes. "I  _am_  born!"

Oh god.

She should've realized sooner. Hallucinations were another side effect of overexerting the Tomeru. Shiho had warned her of this.

"Hey," Reina said quietly when the nurse came back, fresh IV bag in hand. "Do you happen to see a boy over there?" She gave a pointed look to the cot next to her, where the blonde was swinging his legs and tossing his roll of gauze from one hand to another.

The nurse blinked. "...No?"

"Yeah, I was afraid of that," Reina sighed.

Hallucination-Naruto laughed brightly.


	6. Wasted Youth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All she can do is wait.

"Stop it," Reina said.

"No!"

"Seriously, it's annoying."

It was four hours before Reina's surgery, and Naruto was being a nuisance, jumping up and down at the foot of her bed.

"I'm bored!"

"Are you?" Reina said, feigning interest.

"Yeah," Naruto turned to her.

"Too fucking bad."

"...You're mean!" Naruto shouted, hands in the air, balled into fists. "Mean, mean, meanie-"

"A bunch of strangers with glowing green hands are about to perform a potentially life-threatening surgery on me in an attempt to string my broken body back together," Reina said dryly. "I think I get to be a little mean."

"Uh... Reina," Kurenai stared at her. "Who are you talking to?"

"Nobody," Reina said as the hallucination of a yet-to-be-born boy stuck his tongue out at her.

It was nice when Kurenai visited her at the hospital, because unlike Kushina, the red-eyed girl had no idea why Reina was in here. Reina'd just lied and said it was a spinal injury during a training accident. Kurenai had pulled out all the stops during her visits, always toting a new batch of flowers and even dragging Asuma and Gai along with her.

Shisui had yet to visit though, which was strange.

"Perhaps she is giving herself a pep talk before her surgery!" Gai nodded his approval. "Very youthful!"

"Are you sure you're okay?" Kurenai frowned. Reina kept forgetting that this Kurenai's voice was so much higher because she was decades younger than she'd been in the series. Still, it was off-putting each time she heard it. But also kind of adorable.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Reina said, waving it off with a blink of her eyes. "It's like Gai said. I'm just... Hyping myself up."

"Weird way to do it," Asuma commented from the chair he was sitting in. Kurenai smacked him on the backside of the head.

"Just for that, you stay behind while Gai and I get some food," Kurenai said, glancing at Reina. "Sorry, we haven't eaten all day. We'll be back soon."

And so Reina was left alone with only a ghost and an imaginary hero for company.

"That's him, right?" Naruto suddenly spoke, pointing at Asuma. "The friend who's going to die? With the toothpick?"

Reina thought it was kind of funny, that as a kid Asuma would just stick a toothpick in his mouth instead of a cigarette. She wondered when he actually picked up the smoking habit.

"You should tell him." Naruto said, face suddenly solemn.

Reina's eyes widened before she scoffed. "I'm not doing that."

"But he's your friend! Shouldn't you warn him?"

"We're like, friends of friends at most. And no, that could change things."

"It's good if it changes things! It'll change that he's going to die!"

Reina rolled her eyes. "I'm trying not to change things so so  _you_  can save everyone later on, idiot."

"I'm Naruto! I could save everyone no matter what happens. Believe it!"

Ah, not that speech.

Whatever. Naruto couldn't get to her.

Reina turned to Asuma, who was giving her an incredulous look. He'd just witnessed her talking to herself for a full minute, after all.

She felt a little bit judged, but it's not really Asuma's fault. She shouldn't take it out on him.

"You're going to die," Reina said.

She wanted to slam her face into the wall.

It just  _slipped out_.

Asuma blinked.

"I mean, all organic matter dies eventually." She tried to save. "We... We're uh, all born from nothing, and return to nothing. Eventually."

Asuma, teeth still ground around his toothpick, slowly looked her right in the eyes and said,

"Nerd."

Well, crisis averted at least.

"Hey!" Naruto said. 'That's cheating!"

"You're a weird kid," Asuma continued, "And it's... Freaky how you talk to yourself like that."

You're telling her.

"Thanks," Reina said dryly.

Asuma shuffled his feet around as his eyes met the ground.

"You probably don't know this, but Kurenai was really happy when you asked her to teach you." he said. "She's technically a prodigy too, at least in genjutsu, but not enough people acknowledge it if you ask me. You're helping her build her confidence in that, so thanks."

"Oh. You're welcome," Reina said. She hadn't really done it to help Kurenai's self-esteem, but it was still nice to hear.

A few moments of awkward silence passed after that, before Kurenai and Gai finally returned.

"Here, we brought you something," Kurenai said, handing a boxed lunch Asuma, who took it with a smile.

"It's getting close to your surgery time," Gai commented. "Are you prepared, Reina?"

Reina attempted a shrug, forgetting that she couldn't. "As ready as I'll ever be, I guess."

"Are you scared? We can be here when you get out," Kurenai said, giving Reina a sympathetic look.

"Oh, thanks but," Reina said, shaking her head. "they said it could take a while. I think you guys should just go home. I'll probably just sleep afterwards, anyway."

"Are you sure?" Kurenai exchanged a glance with the others. "We-"

"I'd feel really bad if you guys were just waiting around here all night," Reina continued. "Besides, Kushina will be here."

As if on cue, there was a knock at the door.

"We need to prep the patient for surgery," The same nurse from before said. Reina should probably put in an effort to remember her name sometime. "Please clear the room." The nurse turned to Reina before she left. "Your guardian will be here shortly."

The Hokage had probably named Kushina her guardian just for the surgery. Surely it wasn't official. Reina couldn't imagine how that might complicated things later.

"See you soon, Reina," Kurenai said warmly, hugging Reina goodbye, before heading towards the door.

"Good luck," Asuma nodded before following, throwing her a smirk as he went. "Be ready for us to visit tomorrow."

Gai's beaming smile is blinding as he shoots her a thumbs up and opens his mouth, probably ready to give another speech about youth related to her surgery.

Reina cuts him off.

"Why youth?" Reina asked quietly.

Gai's mouth clamps shut in surprise.

A beat passed before he broke the silence.

"What do you mean?"

"It's just that you could've chosen power, or skill, or something else more relevant to being a shinobi to always go on shouting about," Reina paused. "So why youth?"

Gai's smile is different this time. Softer, with the whites of his teeth less visible, yet it is all still so bright somehow.

"You can always gain strength and power later on in life. However youth, like time, only ever goes in one direction." he paused. "You can mourn this, or allow it to live on as a mindset. Then, even if it may not last on the surface, it can always be cherished in your heart."

She blinked, before nodding as Gai shot her one last thumbs up before walking out.

Reina had been young twice.

She couldn't say she'd been cherishing it much.

Kushina walked in only moments later, a tender smile and a warm hug already ready for Reina.

"Are you okay?" Kushina asked as she pulled back, and Reina couldn't help but wonder what the redhead saw when she looked into her eyes. Was it just a scared little five year old girl? Or the older, wiser woman from another world who was also afraid?

Reina looked around to see little Naruto is gone. The image of him came and went, and was almost guaranteed to be gone when Kushina was in the room, for some reason. For once, she wish he hadn't disappeared. His boisterous confidence might be nice right now.

Her attention is drawn back as she sees Kushina taken her hand with a squeeze. By now, the older woman should realize she can't feel it, but the act is comforting to Reina nonetheless.

"I'll..." Reina said. "I'll be fine."

"Yes," Kushina nodded firmly. "You will be."

 

* * *

 

Kushina was right.

Her surgery went well, all things considered, though she was required to take six weeks of physical therapy afterwards.

As she recovered, Reina marveled at the simple things, like being able to pick up her own spoon or lift herself up out of bed. She'd taken it all too much for granted before.

And now that her paralysis was gone, all the scoldings the adults had been holding back were finally released.

If she hadn't seen it in the original series, Reina would have sworn the way Kushina's hair flew around her as she yelled had to be a hallucination too. She could guess that Kushina probably had wind-natured chakra, which explained that.

And her fiery temper wasn't the worst of what Kushina was prepared to dole out.

"You're staying with us," Kushina said, mouth a thin, tight line. "And that's final."

Reina was still on bedrest, though she was told she was allowed to leave the hospital and go home for the remainder of it, so long as she came to the hospital every few days for her PT sessions.

Of course, when they'd told her that, she'd figured she could go back to  _her_  home.

Apparently not.

Minato's team had been on a mission when most of Reina's hospitalization had occurred, but they had just arrived back, which was unfortunate for her. Despite his kind looks, Minato could be just as scarily convincing as his wife, even if he didn't know it.

"Reina," Minato said, and though he was smiling and definitely not threatening her, a child laying in a hospital bed, Reina wouldn't soon forget how he could destroy entire armies singlehandedly. "We would feel much more assured if we knew the rest of your recovery period wasn't spend alone. You're still a child, and there's no reason for you to be taking care of yourself while you're healing from a major surgery."

"But-"

"No! No buts," Kushina said. "I have to write you a new seal immediately, anyways."

Reina bit her lip. "You're going to seal away the Tomeru now?"

Kushina's eyes narrowed. "What did you think? Reina, we can't risk this happening again. You don't understand your powers well enough yet."

"Right," Reina said, frowning. "But I thought I could at least write the seal myself-"

"I'm sorry Reina," Kushina said. "With recent events, sooner is better than later."

Reina opened her mouth to protest, when suddenly a masked man appeared on the windowsill.

She does her best not to scream.

It's her first time seeing an ANBU, after all.

Minato has a quick, quiet conversation with the ANBU before turning to Reina to relay his message.

"The Hokage would like to see you."


	7. Vile Esteemed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The powers that be are not amused.

"Well well well," Reina mumbled. "We meet at last."

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that," The Hokage frowned, looking at her from behind folded hands.

"...Nevermind."

It'd been a few minutes since she'd been escorted to a large, wood-paneled room only to discover that the beloved Yellow Flash had lied to her.

Sort of. Without knowing.

It appeared she wasn't here to meet just the Hokage—but instead the entire Konoha Council itself.

This included Hiruzen, an old woman whose name Reina didn't remember, as well as an old man whose name Reina didn't remember.

And of course, Danzo.

His nose is much bigger in person, Reina thought.

It's really not the state she'd hoped to meet such important figures in, her shoulders slumped and face pale, bags darkening the space under her eyes. Even though chakra-based medical attention made for shorter recovery times, it'd only been a few days since her surgery. She was pretty excited to get a head start on sleeping it off.

"Kushina has informed me you're supposed to be resting," Hiruzen continued as if reading her mind, "I apologize for the inconvenience, and hope to make this quick."

"Oh, it's okay," Reina said, then wondered why she bothered lying. Maybe this could go quicker if she let them know just how tired she was.

Then again, probably not.

The four figures are silent for a moment before the old lady with the large hairpin—Reina should've known her name, actually, it had come up in their Academy lessons—cleared her throat.

"As you may have realized, we've called you here today to discuss your... Recent mishap."

Reina realized why the council was involved. Two five-year-olds had gotten past the building's defenses, past the Hokage's ANBU, and right to his very desk without a hitch. In a time of war, no less.

Her actions had pointed out a flaw in their security that couldn't be fixed, thanks to the nature of her ability. Hiruzen couldn't possibly keep that from the rest of the council.

And though Danzo'd definitely been one of her top three people she'd wanted to avoid finding out about her Tomeru, it was clear that was too much to ask for when he was one of the powers that be.

For now, at least.

"You see," hairpin lady continued, drawing off a tangent that Reina hadn't quite expected, "Your entry into the village was an unique one. Even during the war, most of our refugee children at least came from well-known villages nearby."

"Of course, we knew better than to suspect any threat from an infant," The old man with glasses continued. "But you understand our trepidation upon realizing that even after being raised within our walls, you might hold a penchant for disobeying the orders given to you by your own Hokage."

In her past life, Reina'd had professors who used big words to mask the harshness of their condescension when they didn't like a particular student. Never her, because she always kept her head down and got good grades, but sometimes her peers. It was strange, being on the receiving end of it for the first time.

She'd never been one to misbehave before.

"Were you not told by the Hokage to wait until your seal was placed to use your Tomeru?"

"Okay yes, I'm sorry, but-"

"And once you had disobeyed him, you were unable to deactivate it. So you and the Uchiha boy broke into his office."

Danzo's cold gaze rested on hers and she's forced to meet it as he takes his turn to speak.

"Well, yes," Reina said. "But you know, I do have a theory that it was due to an issue with the seal I wrote on myself, or maybe something to do with the hand seals I got from that book. Next time I'll-"

"If you don't know," Danzo interrupted, "What really caused it, there should be no next time until you do."

The other council members nodded in agreement.

"I mean, of course, I wasn't planning to use it again before I figured it out," Reina said, annoyed. Did Danzo interrupt everyone like this, or was it just her?

Danzo leaned back in his chair before giving Reina a level look. "Would you really want to risk the consequences? For an aspiring shinobi to lose the use of their body... That is most unfortunate."

Reina deflated a little at this.

"Yeah... It would be," Reina frowned. She'd been scratching her arm behind her back since she got out of the hospital. It hurt a bit, but she was relishing being able to feel again.

"And on top of that, just like we know almost nothing about your ability, we know very little of your clan as well, outside of that book our scientists decoded."

"...Yes," Reina said. Though that wasn't really her fault now, was it?

"I'd like you to remind you that despite the risk, our village took you in when you needed a home, rather than leave you out there to fend for yourself; even helped raise you. Hopefully in remembering this, you'll be more willing to cooperate with our decisions. Do you understand?"

Reina nodded shortly, not missing the quiet threat in his statement.

The Hokage took a more gentle tone at least.

"We need to decide how to move forward," Hiruzen continued, "Though many unique Kekkei Genkai have fallen under our purview in the past, when they become an issue of security, we've always dealt with them in a similar fashion. And until we understand yours more, I'm afraid we have to ensure such an event does not occur again."

Reina rubbed her eyes. "Okay. What's the way you deal with them then?" She had a feeling she already knew.

"Well," Hiruzen said, exchanging glances with the rest of the council. "We once discussed a temporary seal that would allow you to still access your powers, to a limited extent, but now... Perhaps it would be best if we went with something stronger." He paused. "More... Permanent. At least until we've been able to research your clan more. Shiho is working on that as we speak."

Ah, yes. Konoha often deferred to seals when it came to dealing with unruly powers, though those same seals seemed to always fail magnificently in the end. It'd been one of the reasons she'd demanded to write her own seal herself.

She knew enough to know the seal Hiruzen was suggesting would be different than the one originally agreed on, one that took far many more years to master; a seal so powerful, it would ensure she'd never be able to use the Tomeru again at all, to any extent, until it was removed.

"I... But I really could write the first seal myself, if given more time," Reina said. "I really won't use the Tomeru again until then, I swear."

Her seal lessons had been going well enough, but her progress hadn't been quick. It'd been harder than she'd thought to master an exact art like sealing a Kekkei Genkai with any speed. Surely the Hokage knew that.

But then the Hokage made a point she couldn't help but understand.

"You see, Reina, we are still at war. And while we do not want to question your loyalties to the village, I'm afraid it becomes a bigger matter when you hold a power we do not understand. If we let you go about without any protection, an enemy village might attempt to kidnap you and use your powers for their own. And God forbid, if your powers were to spiral out of control in an unforseen way one day, what could happen to the village then?" his voice is sympathetic, yet firm and Reina knows that to him, the logic is infallible. The good of the village outweighs the good of the one.

Sometimes, she hated agreeing with people.

"Alright, I get it," Reina said. "Let's just have Kushina seal it away for good, then."

In truth, the commitment didn't seem that daunting, since she was pretty sure this the solution wasn't as permanent as they thought.

It's like she said. Those seals had a tendency to fail. Besides, if she wanted to avoid changing canon, perhaps this was a way to prevent standing out too much for now.

There's a nod and a look of satisfaction on the faces of the older man and woman, though Danzo's expression remained unchanged.

"Thank you," The Hokage nodded solemnly. "I hope you understand that this is for the sake of your own safety, as well as the village's security."

Reina is relieved when she's finally dismissed by the old lady. Her name is on the tip of Reina's tongue; it went something like Home... Homeru? Homare? Ah, this was going to bother her all day.

Kushina is sent in to speak to them after her, most likely to discuss the new seal and her role as caretaker, so Reina waited for her outside the door. They have to leave together now, after all.

How strange is that, going home to live with the mother of the boy she's been hallucinating.

"Oh my god!" Reina yelped when Danzo suddenly materialized before her.

"I'm sorry for startling you," Danzo said. Reina glanced down at his arm (the Sharingan arm), before snapping her eyes back to his face. "I was just leaving to head to my office. They don't need me for this particular conversation.

Reina blinked. "Oh, okay." Her mind is reeling now that she's facing him alone. Could he have the Sharingan right now? Were the bandages just for show, or had he already started stealing eyes from Uchihas?

How many years was it until he stole Shisui's?

"You know, Reina, you have done very well for someone your age," Danzo mused, still not having made any move to leave, his dark shawl shifting as he bent his neck to meet her gaze. "From your files, it seems that you've been excelling at the Academy. Even set to graduate at the end of your first year. I'm sure your recovery period will not stymie that progress."

"Thanks," Reina said, though her heart was now racing.

This was a problematic oversight on her part.

Shisui was getting even better grades and graduating early as well, so she's assumed her own rapid advancements had been properly overshadowed. But if she didn't want people like Danzo noticing her, it would've been better to pretend to get average grades from the beginning and avoid any attention at all.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

"Konoha is lucky in that it has always been blessed with quite a few prodigies each generation," Danzo said. "But even for all your advantages, when you live this life of warring paths, you will often find yourself met with difficult choices."

Like hanging around a bunch of people that were going to die and not telling them so the storyline wouldn't change?

Yeah, Danzo had no idea.

"But you made a commendable one today, giving up your Tomeru. This tells me that you have something that defines effective shinobi," he almost smiled. "The ability to sacrifice the good for something greater. That is important to have, wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes," Reina said. She really hated agreeing with people sometimes.

"Hey, hey," Naruto appeared suddenly as Danzo walked away. "Who was that guy? He was playing mummy too! But it looks like he didn't finish his costume." Naruto said, crossing his arms. "You'd think an adult wouldn't leave the house half-dressed like that!"

"Yeah," Reina agreed, crossing her arms too. "What a loser."

 

* * *

 

A week had passed now, and Reina still hadn't seen Shisui since the Tomeru incident.

"This," Reina said as she glanced over a bag of sugar. "Was way too expensive."

Naruto grinned. "But you can't have a cake without sugar!"

"Good point," Reina said. Despite the strain wartime rationing was putting on her wallet, Reina had decided to spend the afternoon baking Shisui a birthday cake.

Well, it wasn't really  _her_  money she'd spent anyways, more like the pocket money Kushina had been giving her. Kushina had been the one to buy the ingredients as well, as Reina wasn't allowed to leave the house at all except for her hospital checkups and PT.

She was a little surprised the ever-friendly Shisui hadn't visited her before her surgery, but she hadn't expected him not to show up after either. She had to admit she was worried something had happened. It was... Very unlike him.

And because she's a sap, she decided to alleviate some of her boredom and bake him a birthday cake. It's also because there's literally nothing else to do, since she's still on bedrest, and Kushina's busy preparing her seal. Minato and his team had also left a few days after her surgery to take the Chunin exams.

Reina tried hard not to think about the implications of that.

Anyways, since she'd missed Shisui's sixth birthday while she was in the hospital, it seemed like a good excuse to show up at his door with a gift and then demand an explanation. Hopefully he even liked cake, as it was really the only thing she'd known how to bake in her past life.

"I want to stir!" Naruto shouted as Reina filled the bowls withe their ingredients, managing to get flour and sugar everywhere as she clumsily ripped open their bags. Stupid chubby little five-year-old hands.

Reina shrugged. "Alright," She said, throwing the spoon at his outstretched hands. It went right through him and out the open window behind him.

Nice.

"Oh," Reina said. "That's right. You're not real."

Naruto pouted. "You did that on purpose!"

"Wish I could say I did," Reina sighed. "But now what am I going to mix with?"

Naruto grew silent for a moment, deep in thought.

"That," A voice said moments later, "isn't really what kunai are meant for." Reina turned to see Rin, who was watching her mix batter with her weapon.

Ooh. She's sassier than Reina remembered.

"Wasn't my idea," Reina defended, though she can't exactly explain more past that. The culprit's image had disappeared as soon as she'd turned around to face Rin, for some reason Reina couldn't discern.

Rin laughed. "Oh, sure. It's creative, at least. Are you making something?"

"Yeah, a cake. I just wanted to get out of my room for a bit," Reina said. "Especially after Kushina... Redecorated."

As in, painted the walls pink and filled the bed with toys and seriously what would the house have turned into if Naruto was born a girl?

It was a nice gesture, though.

"Sorry for not coming to see you sooner," Rin said with a mournful smile. "I heard about the surgery. I'm really glad it went well. Obito and Kakashi were worried too when Minato told us. We wanted to visit but then they said you were fine and we had to leave for the exams right after..."

"Thanks," Reina said. "I appreciate you thinking of me though. I can't believe you were on a mission right before the exams, though. You'd think they'd give you more time to rest up in between."

She glanced down at Rin's outfit as she spoke. No chunin jacket in sight. They'd only been gone a week though, so maybe the test wasn't over yet.

Rin grinned sheepishly before answering her unspoken question. "We didn't pass this time," she said. "But I'm sure we will next time!"

"Oh," Reina said, trying not to sound too surprised. "Even Kakashi?" Kakashi, well, he was technically retaking the damn thing, already having gotten a field promotion to chunin at six. He couldn't get through the textbook version?

"No, he got through with flying colors," Rin chuckled. "Obito was livid."

"He would've passed if he'd just paid more attention during his fights," Kakashi and Obito entered the room, the Uchiha's face already red with anger at his statement.

"I  _was_  paying attention! It's not my fault Gai's so ridiculously strong."

"Gai?" Reina blinked. He had visited her even though he was supposed to be preparing for the exam?

That... Was sweet.

"He  _is_  pretty strong," Rin agreed. "It was kind of scary. I almost couldn't believe Kakashi was able to beat him!"

Obito's expression darkened as Rin said this, so Reina shoved the batter-covered kunai in his hands.

"You can lick the spoon," Reina said. "Or the... Kunai. I guess."

"Uh... No thanks?" Obito held the kunai away from him like a bomb.

Then a mischievous look crossed his face.

"Hey Reina," he grinned. "Maybe you should give it to Kakashi instead! Are you not avoiding him anymore?"

"What." Reina deadpanned, pouring batter into tins. "Why would I be?"

"Because of your crush! On Kakashi!" Obito said, waving his arms around, the batter on the kunai dripping all over the counter. "Don't tell me you already forgot?!"

She HAD.

Her face snapped up from her baking.

"What... No!" Reina exclaimed. "Oh come on, that was weeks ago, okay!"

"Weeks are all it takes?" Obito looked at Kakashi. "Aww, that's all the time she needed to get over you, Kakashi! Doesn't that worry you?'

"No." Kakashi said, and she knew he meant it.

"Wow, at this rate, you'll never find love," Obito commented.

Kakashi shrugged. "Love is just chemicals reacting in your brain so you'll have children."

Reina opened the oven door before gently placed her tins in the middle rack.

"But everything is chemicals, not just love. Happiness, hunger fatigue, grief, guilt; all of it." She said as stood up and set up a small timer on the kitchen counter. "Just because they're chemicals, doesn't mean you can ignore them. They're what make life, life."

Obito chuckled. "She got you there, Kakashi!"

"...How precocious." Was Kakashi's only reply.

He walked off, probably to sulk in a corner. Reina finally thought to ask them what their business was, being here in the first place.

"Are you guys here for Kushina?" Reina asked. "She's busy upstairs. She doesn't want anyone to disturb her."

"We know!" Rin smiled. "We were thinking you might want to come watch us train!"

"What, me?" Reina blinked.

"Yeah!" Obito nodded. "C'mon, it'll be fun! We're going to the grounds nearby. Minato said you've been on bedrest all week, right? You must feel super cooped up!"

It was true that Reina was literally almost vibrating with boredom. She was baking a cake, for god's sake.

"I... I don't know," Reina said. "Kushina said I'm not supposed to leave the house unless someone's with me to supervise..."

"Well, we're three someones!" Obito smiled. "How about if Rin runs up and asks Kushina permission really quick?"

"Uh, I guess that would work, if she says it's okay," Reina said. Rin beamed before bolting up the stairs.

"But what about my cakes?" Reina gestured to the oven.

Obito grabbed the timer from the counter and held it up to Reina's face. "You still have half an hour! We can just do a quick spar nearby, and when the timer's about to ring you can head back first!"

It took about five minutes to get to the closest training grounds at shinobi speed, so his logic wasn't... Too bad. For once.

"I guess that works. Wow," Reina said, taking the timer back with a frown, "it's kind of nice of you guys to do this. It isn't some prank, is it?"

Obito grinned. "Of course not, Reina! We just want to spar with our friend that's been cooped up, is all."

"Can you guys hurry it up?" Kakashi said from his corner. "Daylight's burning, and we only have the grounds booked for so long."

"Kushina said yes!" Rin shouted from the top of the stairs. "We have to get Reina back before sundown though, and no letting her spar."

"Of course," Obito said. "Who'd let an injured kid spar?"

"I'm not injured," Reina started to protest.

_Or a kid._

Kakashi's eyes are rolling so hard they're threatening to spin back into his head.

"Can we  _go_  now?"

 

* * *

 

When they arrived at the training grounds, it was already occupied.

That was a common occurrence, and usually settled peacefully; booking time on training grounds was incredibly inefficient, as the only log existed on a small signpost right outside of the field. It was up to the honor system to determine who had booked what if there was an issue in overlap.

That was not the case today.

"We're not leaving! We were here first!"

Kasuga Nara. He was in her class, and always ranked pretty well in written scores despite claiming to never study. She could believe it too, considering he was a Nara.

She and Shisui had eaten lunch with him and Iruka a few times at the Academy before her accident. Reina didn't remember him from the first series, but he was kind of the worst.

"You guys aren't even using it!" Obito shouted. "And don't you have your own training grounds in the Nara district?"

"Don't you have your own in the Uchiha compound?" Kasuga shot back smugly. "Oh, that's right, they probably wouldn't let you in it."

Obito fumed. Rin winced. Reina coughed awkwardly.

"And we _are_  using it. We're practicing our jutsu." Kasuga's older cousin, who was rather thick-jawed, argued back. He had on a forehead protector and a chunin vest, so Reina had to assume he was already at least that rank.

"We have the field booked for the hour," Kakashi stepped in. "It's on the log."

Kasuga crossed his arms. "I didn't see anything on the log. Besides, we're almost done anyways, just give us a few minutes!"

"Why don't we just split the field?" Rin suggested. "We did it before with Reina."

"That's not a bad idea," Reina agreed, though both Kakashi and Obito kept their peeved expressions.

"No way," Kasuga sneered. "We need the whole field! Maen promised to to help me get my Shadow Imitation Jutsu to reach as far as his before graduation."

"Are you serious? Rin's being nice!" Obito said. "We should just kick you guys out."

"Wait," Reina said. "Why not just spar against each other then?"

The group turned to her.

"You guys," Reina gestured at Obito's team, "Are here to spar." She turned to Kasuga. "And you guys are here to practice your jutsu." She shrugged. "Just fight each other, then. They're the Yellow Flash's students, I'm sure they're fast enough to put some distance between you guys, so who better to practice against?"

The two groups glanced at each other.

"That works," Kakashi said dryly. "Obito could use the training after his embarrassment at the exams."

"Hey!" Obito protested. "And I'm not fighting some kids!"

"Might as well, since you still act like a kid yourself."

"You  _bastard_ —"

"It does seem unfair," Rin frowned. "We do outnumber them, after all."

"What," Kasuga sneered, a sudden gleam in his eyes, "Don't tell me you guys are  _scared_?"

Obito's eyes steeled. "Oh okay, now you're on!"

The two groups stood at other ends of the field, Reina watching from the far back near the trees.

"Okay," Maen said, "Standard sparring rules. Kasuga and I against you three." He gestured to his cousin, who made a noise of agreement. "Winner gets all of the other team down at once."

Everyone nodded, and then they began.

The Nara clan's Shadow Imitation jutsu was interesting; cool, even, if Reina did say so herself. Especially in person. It was like watching long black snakes cut through the field—you'd think the shadows would homogeneously blanket all the grass in their path, but instead they seemed to rise and fall with each blade, contorting perfectly to everything it touched.

"Kasuga!" Maen shouted at his cousin. "Stop losing focus!"

Kasuga's shadow flinched around the ground as it struggled to catch up to Kakashi's speed. It was obviously unmastered, and wasn't nearly as smooth as Maen's water-like flow. Obito yelped as Maen used it to quickly grab him by the foot, the other one still in the air in his attempt at a jump, and he was suddenly stuck.

That was when Kakashi showed up behind Maen, kunai in hand.

Kasuga threw his hands down in frustration.

"I'm not! He's just too fast," Kasuga snarled, before reforming his hand seals. "Fine, if I can't catch him, then I'll go for his teammates!" His shadow flickered out erratically, but managed to snag Rin, who'd been running to avoid one of Maen's kunai. She snapped ramrod still once the jutsu took hold of her.

"Hah, got her!" Kasuga cheered, before pulling up his hand to his weapons pouch. Rin's hand followed, slowly pulling out a single kunai.

She yelps as her arm is pulled back, aimed to throw.

"Hey!" Obito protested, from where Maen is holding his body hostage. "You're not going to make her throw that at me, are you?!"

"Who knows," Kasuga sneered. "It sure would make for a fun show, wouldn't it?"

"That's not fair!"

"No, Kasuga," Maen said exasperated. "We're just supposed to incapacitate them."

"But—Look out!" Kasuga shouted when a sudden flash of silver appears behind Maen.

Kakashi, kunai in hand, stabs at Maen. The older Nara barely dodged in time, falling to the floor with a grunt.

It's enough distraction for him to release his jutsu long enough for Obito to break free. As soon as he does, he ran over to Rin.

Kasuga released her as well before running over to help his brother, who is currently pinned to the floor by Kakashi. His other hand is crackling electricity, and Reina winced as the flashes momentarily blind her.

"Hey!" Obito said, offering a hand to help Rin up, "You okay?"

"I'm fine, Obito," Rin's eyes narrowed as he pulls her up, before glancing at the Nara boys with a new competitive edge in her voice. "Let's get them."

Obito grins, before turning around.

"Hey losers!" he shouts. "How's this for a fun show?" His shoulders are pushed back as he chokes down a heavy gulp of air, before expelling the biggest collection of fire Reina had ever seen in her life.

Kakashi stepped back just in time, but unfortunately, so do the Nara cousins.

And then the fire is headed straight for her.

_She should really stop hanging around Uchihas,_ is all she can think.

Her eyes are squeezed shut as she braces for impact, the heat of the flames licking at her face.

And suddenly, a familiar feeling bubbled in her chest, fast and harsh, threatening to rush out her throat.

Then, like clockwork, her Tomeru was on.

 

* * *

 

She really should learn her lessons.

It hadn't even been two weeks since her last incident, and here she is again. Man, maybe she shouldn't have left the house at all until Kushina finished writing the seal.

A part of her wondered if she should just head back to the house and get Kushina. She'd probably suffer a great scolding, possibly be subject the redheaded woman's glowing eyes and floating hair for hours on end, but at least the older woman might know what to do.

_Tick._

The sound is loud, considering there is nothing else to hear within the Tomeru, but it feels familiar to Reina.

_Tick. Tick._

Her eyes shoot down to her pockets, before she's pulled out the kitchen timer she'd brought with her.

Interesting.

It is still ticking away, even in the frozen world. Maybe it's because Reina is touching it, or that it was on her when the Tomeru was activated.

Whatever it is, she's grateful, because now she can reset the time to zero and keep track of how long she's in this state for.

"Small blessings," she muttered to herself dryly, because she's still stuck, in the end. "Gotta figure out how to get out of this..."

Reina glances up and almost yells, forgetting that there is a giant fireball right in front of her, though frozen in time and colorless. It was kind of beautiful, in an ethereal way, but that didn't mean Reina was happy to stay standing in front of it.

She walks a few feet out of the way, to be safe, before pursing her lips. If she were to go get Kushina, the trip itself would take a few minutes, pushing the limits of what she can afford to lose before she risks suffering the adverse effects of her ability. Again.

Reina shuddered. The feeling of not feeling, well, she didn't want to go through that another time. Not if she didn't have to.

That's when she sees Kakashi, who'd been running relatively close towards where she was sitting before. Maybe he was about to push her out of the way from Obito's fireball. None of this had to happen then, if it weren't for her overreaction.

Irritated with herself, she glanced at the timer.

She'd only been here about half a minute, give or take. She can afford to bring him in.

"Hi," She said, Kakashi's eyes a wide obsidian as he glances around him. "Can you help me figure out some hand seals?"


	8. Count the Clock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time's never really on anyone's side.

This," Kakashi deadpanned, "Is the dumbest idea ever. I thought Obito was dumb. You might be worse."

"I  _know._  But I didn't know what else to do!" Reina bemoaned. "And I don't have time to get Kushina."

"So you expected me to teach you how to master hand seals in the span of," he glanced at the timer in Reina's hand, "four minutes?"

"Actually, two, now that I've brought you in."

"...Dumbest. Idea. Ever."

"I've heard you're a great teacher," Reina replied dryly. It was true. Sort of. Just not yet.

She'd explained what she could to Kakashi, including how last time she'd been unable to deactivate her Tomeru. He'd taken it calmly, all things considered, though Reina supposed she shouldn't expect Kakashi of all people to express that much surface-level surprise.

Reina had suspected the botched deactivation last time was a result of the seal she'd written interfering with the effect, or her misuse of hand seals. Well now, she could test both theories.

"Fine, just show me the hand seals," Kakashi finally relented. "I'll see what I can do."

Reina complied, handing Kakashi the timer before quickly going through the 20-something hand seals that the red book had promised would deactivate her ability, before Kakashi frowned.

"Are you a water type?"

Reina scoffed. "What, like Pokemon?"

"...What?"

Then she remembered which story she's in.

"Oh, you meant chakra nature." She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Actually, I've never tested it."

She'd remembered a test from the series, where they'd used a slip of paper to figure out nature, but Reina had never thought to try it. It certain wasn't something she'd even been asked to do in the Academy.

"Do the hand seals again." Kakashi said, glancing at the timer again.

Reina sighed, holding her hands up to him as she completed the circuit.

"See, you're ending in the Dog seal," Kakashi said, stopping Reina's hands as they formed the last one. "That means this technique is part of a water release." he paused. "We don't have a lot of techniques in Konoha of that nature."

"Oh," Reina said. "I see." She didn't really see how it was relevant, actually, but luckily Kakashi changed the subject.

"That's a lot of consecutive hand seals," Kakashi said. "You're probably just messing up somewhere."

Reina frowned. "I'm sure I'm not. I had this part of the book memorized." She'd watched out for boar specifically, since it'd looked particularly easy to mess up.

"There's a boar, bird, and dragon seal in the middle there," Kakashi said, demonstrating with his own hands. "Those are the more complicated ones. You have to make sure there's barely even a second between forming them, and then you have to ensure you form them correctly."

"I thought I was doing it right," Reina said, demonstrating the three aforementioned seals. "Like this?"

Kakashi took in a ragged breath, as if summoning all of his patience. " _No._ "

"...Oh."

"You have your thumb in the wrong place for the bird seal," Kakashi explained, "And you're interlocking your fingers in the wrong pattern during the dragon."

"I just," Reina blinked, going through them again. "What? Are you sure? I  _know_  what those seals are supposed to look like." She'd had to use them for all the other ninjutsu she was doing, after all.

"You're moving too quickly, so it's difficult to catch it. You need to practice it more, and it'll become muscle memory."

"Okay," Reina said. She could still hear the timer ticking as she went through the seals once more.

"Again," Kakashi said. "Go slower so you can see where you're making a mistake."

Reina did just that, stopping in the middle of her dragon seal.

Fuck. "...You're right."

She stared down at her clasped hands, frowning. The pattern was off. With her left thumb on top, her left forefinger had automatically wanted to lock in right underneath it. She'd known the answer, but was so confident in her knowledge that she hadn't bothered to double check if she was executing it right.

This entire time, she could have avoided all this trouble, the paralysis, the surgery, if she wasn't so arrogant. She'd been so sure, someone like her who was all about books and studying, wouldn't miss something like that...

But books were different than real life.

Even if her brain knew, her body wouldn't always follow.

She quickly discovered that she'd had a similar issue with the bird seal as well. Kakashi had been right about both of them. His 'I told you so' look sure wasn't helping.

"I think I've got it now," Reina said, glancing at her clasped hands, "Wish me luck."

"Good luck," Kakashi said darkly, glancing at the timer again, as Reina went through the motions of the seal once more.

The world bled into color from her fingertips, all the way up to her arms and then the ground around her. The fireball dissipated in the air even before it collided with the tree, not even burning the bark.

Okay, so she had overreacted there. In her defense, most Katons she'd seen in the series actually  _worked_.

She and Kakashi turned to see Obito running to where Reina had been sitting before, shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Sorry Reina!" Obito apologized. "I still haven't completely mastered the Katon yet, I don't know why I used it without thinking like that, I'm sorry if it scared you—"

Obito stopped, realizing she was no longer there.

"What the-" Obito's eyes finally find hers a few seconds later. "Whoa! How'd you get there so fast?"

The Naras and Rin looked at her as well, confusion in their eyes.

Reina glanced down at the timer in her hands. A minute fifty seconds. They'd just barely made it.

Reina grinned back to Obito in relief until she met eyes with Kakashi.

He was frowning, two black eyes clearly sizing her up differently now, before speaking in the low voice post-pubescence had recently granted him.

"We should probably go back now."

 

* * *

 

"That's unfortunate," Kakashi commented needlessly as Reina scraped her burnt cakes out into the trash. She'd forgotten about them in all the fuss, so now she'd have to find Shisui another present.

"It really is," Reina sighed, throwing the tins into the sink with the other dishes before going back to work silently.

They'd all just had dinner at the Namikaze-Uzamaki home, at Kushina's insistence, and Kakashi had been awfully quiet during the meal.

Now, Reina and Kakashi were alone in the kitchen, assigned with dishwashing duty as Kushina cleared the table and Rin and Obito helped Minato, who'd arrived home right after they did, put away the extra chairs.

Kakashi'd acted differently around her since they came back from the training rounds, but Reina knew that was fair. Still, there were moments during dinner when she would catch him giving her a strange look after she'd make an innocuous, off-handed comment.

Her priority, though, was to make sure he didn't snitch to Kushina.

"You know, I would really, really appreciate it if you didn't tell her," Reina said to Kakashi quietly.

"About what?" Kakashi said lightly as Reina passed him back the soap.

"You know. I mean, that works too," Reina said. "Just pretend it didn't happen?"

There's a pause, and silence, and Reina reminds herself that talking Kakashi is like pulling teeth for everyone, not just her.

"I'd rather you explain to me what exactly it is I'm keeping secret. Obviously, I won't tell others if that's what the Hokage mandated, but I'm guessing Kushina plays an important role in this since you're suddenly living with her and she's the one you don't want me telling..." Kakashi trailed off, glancing out the window to the left of the sink. Some sort of palm trees swayed over the fence, bathed in the light of the setting sun.

"Okay, maybe I didn't explain it well enough the first time. We were in kind of a rush, after all," Reina is relieved he isn't immediately shooting down the idea of secrecy. She glanced behind them at the dining room. Kushina seemed distracted, in the midst of a conversation with Rin. Reina trusted Kakashi, not for anything he'd done in front of her in this life, but for the moral tenure she knew him to have in the series before.

"So as you know, that's my Kekkei Genkai. It's called the Tomeru," Reina explained. "It's an ability that's supposed to be long gone, since my clan lived in the mountains and died off a long time ago, but I guess not."

"What'd they die from?" Kakashi said, the frown only visible in his eyes. "It'd be hard to kill off an entire clan with an ability like that."

Well, killing off clans didn't seem that impossible, if Itachi was any indicator, but whatever.

"They didn't get killed off by anybody. They weren't really shinobi," Reina said. "They tended to have really underdeveloped chakra systems thanks to the toll the ability takes on the body." She paused, wondering if she should even divulge this next piece of information, and then shrugged. It was Kakashi, after all, so it should be fine. "They died off due to one of the side effects of overusing the Tomeru. It tears away at the user's sanity until there's nothing left. My clan members ended up going crazy and killing themselves."

Kakashi's full spectrum of emotions hadn't been made evident to Reina in person, but at least she could check off off 'horror' when his eyes widened and he fully turned to her.

"What?" He said harshly. "It wanes that much on your mind and you still use it?"

"Kushina's working on something to seal it away," Reina informed him quickly, lifting up her sudsy hands in defense. "It won't even be a problem soon. That's probably the last time I'll ever use it, so... You don't have to tell her what happened today. She'll probably freak out."

Kakashi leaned back again, shoulders un-tensing. There is a beat of silence as Reina returns to washing dishes.

"You know what they say about prodigies?"

"Uh... No?" Reina was thrown off by the non-sequitur.

"They—we're a double-edged sword," Kakashi continued. "Ability breeds instability. Just because we display greater potential from a young age, doesn't mean we're not just as susceptible to the pressures put on us for it." he paused. "That, plus the potential side effects of your Kekkai Genkai..."

"Oh. Well, I'm not sure I'm the kind of prodigy you think I am," Reina said. Thankfully. "But... Yeah, I get it. I'll be careful not to let it all make me go crazy." she smiled. "Thanks."

Kakashi nodded in the slightest, and Reina can't help but feel a little warmed at his well-veiled concern.

"You know, you don't have be so guarded all the time," Reina teased. "You could tell people what you're thinking in less roundabout ways."

"I think I'm good," Kakashi replied dryly.

"Are you sure?" Reina joked. "Maybe if you just opened your heart a little, you and Obito could finally take your friendship to the next level."

Kakashi shuddered. "...Your imagination is problematic."

That was when Kushina walked into the kitchen, another pile of dirty plates in her hand.

"Ah? Have you two been talking this whole time?" Kushina chuckled. "Kakashi, I swear you're getting more and more sociable nowadays. We've been a good influence." Kushina winked at him before setting the dishes in the sink.

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Reina was just telling me about her Kekkai Genkai. By the way, she used it today during a spar. And almost couldn't deactivate it."

"WHAT?!" Kushina spun around to face Reina as her own jaw dropped.

"You tattletale," Reina hissed at Kakashi, who shrugged.

"It's for your own good," Kakashi said before leaving to join the rest of his teammates in the living room.

She glared as he left, silently plotting revenge before turning to Kushina.

"That's-You're not supposed to be using it Reina! Remember? You promised the Hokage!" Kushina waved her hands around. "I'm only a few hours away from finishing the seal!"

Minato poked his head into the kitchen. Reina had been happy when he'd made it home in time to join them for a rare meal. She no longer felt happy.

"What's going on?" Minato frowned.

"Reina," Kushina said, eyes glowing and hair floating (that has to be a chakra thing), "I can't believe you're still using your Kekkei Genkai after what you just went through! And right after we had to meet with the council! And now Kakashi knows about it too!"

"It wasn't on purpose! There was an incident during sparring, and it just activated by itself!"

"This is my fault," Kushina said, putting a hand up to her face. She looked tired, and Reina realized she probably was up for a while writing her seal. "I shouldn't have let you go..."

"Now now, Kushina," Minato said, hands patting empty air as he tried to calm his wife down, "What matters is she's safe, right? We can discuss what happened in the morning. For now, it's getting late, we should all go to bed."

It was like, 9pm, but Reina didn't really want to argue.

Reina nodded her agreement, turning to leave for her room. Kushina grabbed her by the arm before she could go.

"Reina," Kushina's expression was firm, worry still heavy in her eyes as she said, "I think we should place the seal tomorrow morning. Okay?"

"But Kushina," Reina tried, "I was able to deactivate it today. The reason I couldn't before was just because I was doing the hand seals wrong." she paused. "Maybe... if I practice more, we won't have any more incidents. If I could just have more time-"

"Reina," Kushina said, exchanging a glance with Minato. "These are the Hokage's orders. We agreed on the seal until Shiho gets more concrete information on your powers. And maybe by the time you're older, it'll be easier for you to deal with all this. I wish there was another way. But we can always remove the seal later on, okay?" Minato placed his hand on Kushina's shoulder, showcasing his support.

"It's just for now, Reina," Minato agreed. "It really is the best way."

Reina pursed her lips and nodded.

"...Okay."

 

* * *

 

Reina was back in class a month later, thankfully. Especially since they were about to take graduation exams.

It was a hot topic of debate in the Namikaze-Uzumaki household, whether or not she would still be able to graduate early despite missing so much class. Reina had been the one that felt the odds were against her, honestly.

But at least she wouldn't be alone.

"Long time no see," Reina said, taking her seat besides Shisui one morning.

Shisui, to his credit, looked appropriately shocked. It'd been a month and a half since they'd seen each other.

"Reina!" He said, a strange mix of emotions passing through his features, "You're back!"

"Yeah," Reina replied dryly, "Thanks for visiting, by the way."

She'd been mostly joking, but immediately felt guilty for the jab when she saw Shisui's despondent expression.

Before she can remedy the situation, she'd suddenly received a hug from behind.

"You're okay!" Iruka exclaimed. "You were gone for so long, we were all worried you'd died!"

"Oh," Reina said. "Well, not dead. Haha. Thanks though. I missed you guys," she added that last part while glancing at Shisui, throwing him a smile.

He returned it with a tight one of his own, and Reina made note they probably needed to have a conversation later.

Unfortunately, it wouldn't happen for a while as a few weeks later, Reina was still up to her ears in makeup work. She'd been on bedrest for so long, her taijutsu, ninjutsu and even genjutsu was so far behind she'd been forced to dedicate all her time to catching up on what she'd missed.

So unfortunately, their written exam had caught her off guard today.

It'd be one of their last benchmarks before graduation, and Reina was hoping she hadn't managed to fall too far behind in class since her absence. But hey, this was a written exam, and she usually bagged those.

When the scores are posted early the next morning outside of the classroom, she's surprised to find Shisui already staring at the rankings board, a frustrated look on his face.

"What is it?" Reina said. His expression rarely went in that direction. She only received silence at first.

"Even after missing all that class, you're still beating me in the written scores!" Shisui said suddenly, crossing his arms. It'd been the first time they'd talked in a while, since Reina had been so busy, and this wasn't exactly how she expected the conversation to go. "Without you tutoring me I was still studying on the side, but you're still beating me at #2! How is this happening?"

Hah, served him right. He'd finally felt her pain at realizing what it was like not to be the best at everything. Sure, he didn't know it was because she had an entire 21 years on him. Seriously, if she couldn't beat a six year old at memorizing facts and figures, that would be—

Wait.

Did he say... #2?

"Haha, you should see the look on your face!" Naruto suddenly popped up. "But hey, second place isn't all that bad!"

"No, second place is just a first loser," Reina hissed back.

"What?" Iruka said, coming up behind Reina. "Who are you talking to?"

"...Nobody."

"Hey! You can't say I'm a nobody," Naruto said. "That's rude."

"Anyways, if I'm #2... Who," Reina said slowly, "The fuck is #1?"

"Language, Reina!" Iruka hissed.

 _I AM 26,_  she wanted to scream. Actually, she was 27 if you added up all her years. She'd just turned six in this life a week ago. And Iruka was only two years older than her now, so he didn't get to lecture her.

"It's Kasuga," Shisui said, pointing at the board. "Kasuga Nara."

"No, not Kasuga. He's the worst," Reina gasped, "is he even in the original series?"

"What?"

"Nothing." she knew she should calm down, but they were talking about grades right now. They were all she had!

"Kasuga's okay," Iruka said. "He's nice."

"Not everyone that's nice to you is a good person," Reina grumbled back.

As if on cue, Reina could see Kasuga making his way over.

"Ooh," Kasuga teased, "Is Crazy Eyes all up in her panties about the rankings?"

"What," Reina blinked. "What did you call me?"

She turned to Iruka and Shisui, whose faces were masks of varying expressions of horror.

"Everyone's been calling you that for weeks now," Kasuga taunted. "'cause of how you keep mumbling to yourself all the time like a crazy person, and your weird bug eyes." He snickered before heading back to his seat, leaving Reina stricken in his wake.

Shit, she should've realized her hushed conversations with the imaginary Naruto wouldn't go unnoticed, especially in a room full of shinobi-hopefuls. He'd manifested less and less since Reina's most recent Tomeru mishap, yet for some reason when he did appear, he seemed to favor visiting her in the classroom.

"S-Shisui and I have been trying to get them to stop!" She turned to Iruka, who had a panicked look on his face. "But... Unfortunately, the nickname's really stuck."

"What was it again?" Reina asked. "Crazy Eyes?"

Shisui and Iruka shared a furtive glance before nodding.

"...I have to admit, it's fair." Reina sighed.

'

* * *

'

Ever since she'd come back to the Academy, Reina's interactions with Shisui had been incredibly awkward and distant, at best. The only conversation they'd really had was the recent one about rankings, but even that was only surface level. She decided she'd had enough.

"Shisui," Reina finally caught him after class one day.

Now that Reina was always staying late thanks to her makeup work, he walked home with the other Uchihas. "Do you have a minute to talk?"

Unfortunately, the only time she'd been able to catch him was when he was getting ready to leave with his cousins, who were surrounding him like a crowd of short, similarly-dressed bodyguards.

"Hey Reina, no makeup work today?" Shisui asked brightly, before turning to his little Uchiha posse, "You guys can go ahead without me."

As they left, Reina realized she doesn't exactly know what to say. She wanted to ask about why he didn't visit her, but it felt weird bringing it up now. It's not like he's obligated to, after all.

Shisui seemed to pick up on this immediately. "Hey," he smiled. "I know a great place we can go to talk."

Reina's eyebrows shot up but she nodded, before following him out the door of the classroom.

They walk at a slow, leisurely pace that is almost uncomfortably silent. Before she knew it, twenty minutes have passed and she's belatedly realized Shisui has brought her to the Naka river's cliffside.

The place where, around a decade from now, he would jump off and kill himself.

"I like to come here to think sometimes," he said.

Reina looked over the cliff's steep edge and shuddered.

"You might be crazier than me," she commented.

"Hey!" Shisui said, feigning offense, putting a hand up to his heart like he'd been struck. Then his face dropped a bit. "I'm sorry about all that Crazy Eyes stuff, by the way. I'll talk to them-"

"It's fine," Reina said. "Let them have their fun. Besides, it's not even that creative. They should've gone with something like... YandeReina. Now  _that's_  a nickname."

"Yande... What?"

"It's a play on my name, you know? Yandere, a girl that seems nice and normal but is actually deranged and psychotic?" Reina then realized this term might be... Unique to her world. "Uh, nevermind. Just don't sweat it. We only have a week left until the graduation exam anyways."

"Oh yeah," Shisui said. "I'm kind of nervous."

"You?" Reina scoffed. "I'm the one who should be nervous. It's been weeks since I've thrown a kunai. I couldn't hit the ocean from a boat."

"I uh, missed some class too," Shisui said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "It was for the same reason I couldn't come visit you... I'm really sorry about that, by the way."

Reina blinked in surprise. "Wait, why'd you have to miss class?"

"I... Had a family thing." Shisui walked over to the edge of the cliff, which made Reina's heart leap out of his chest.

Hey, she had good reason to panic.

He didn't jump though, instead plopping himself down at the edge of the rocks, feet dangling over the drop.

 _Can't say he doesn't like to live life dangerously,_  Reina thought as she took a seat next to him, albeit at a spot further down from the cliff's sharp drop than Shisui.

"My dad's been fighting in the war. He's a really good shinobi. One of the best," Shisui threw out, "but... he had an injury in the field last month. Right after your incident with the Tomeru." he paused. "He was fight a Kiri shinobi when he was stabbed in the leg with poison. They couldn't get the antidote in time so... He lost his leg. I had to take care of him for a few weeks when he got back."

Reina's jaw dropped. "...Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I didn't want to bother you during your surgery," Shisui said, ducking his head. "And I thought you'd be mad, since I knocked you out with my Sharingan without asking... My dad always said not to do that." his hands hung between his legs as he continued, "Sorry about that too, by the way." he chuckled. "I suppose I'm not a very good friend."

Reina pursed her lips. "I'm sorry about your dad," she said.

"It's okay," Shisui smiled tensely. "He was injured in the field, fighting for his village. There's no greater honor."

It's times like this when Reina remembers that, despite all his gifts, Shisui is still just a child. Not like her. A real, genuine, six-year-old, living his life for the first, scared of what might happen to his father, and trying desperately to hide it. The slight tremble of his voice betrayed him though.

"I know, but still," Reina paused. "It must've been hard. I'm here if you ever want to talk about it, you know?"

Shisui's eyes are locked on the rushing waters below their feet as he replied. "Thanks, Reina."

Reina added, "And you're a great friend. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. Any longer in that Tomeru, and who knows what would've happened." she smiled. "Besides, it's not a problem anymore," she held up her wrist. "Kushina's already sealed it away."

Reina had blanched when Kushina had first shown her the results of the seal. The redhead had explained how it was her family's trademark to use their signature swirls in their seals writing.

Now she'd be sporting a giant Uzumaki swirl on her wrist for the unforeseen future.

"Did it hurt?" Shisui asked, peering at it.

Reina laughed weakly. "Oh yeah." It had burnt like a brand, the most searing pain Reina had probably ever experienced. She'd had to clasp Minato's hand tight the entire time Kushina applied it. "But hey, no more paralysis scares or anything. It's all for the best, I think."

There's a beat of silence as Shisui continued staring at her seal before finally speaking up.

"You know," Shisui said, legs swinging again. "I've been thinking about your Tomeru. There's no way it can actually freeze time, don't you think?"

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it. If it did, you'd be stopping time for the whole  _world_. How is that even possible?"

Well, there were a lot of 'less possible' things that could, would, and had happened in the Naruto universe, but Reina didn't feel like listing the ways.

"Unless you're just stopping time within a certain area range," Shisui continued, "but that would mean one part of the planet is going through time slower than the rest for a period. That would just... Be a mess."

Reina frowned. She hadn't thought of it like that. And she really hated that Shisui already did.

"...You have a point," Reina said. She'd remembered Shiho had told her it was more complicated than just freezing time, but perhaps she thought the real explanation would have been too much for a child. Well, suck on that, Shiho. Shisui had it figured out. Though then again, he  _was_  a prodigy.

"I should ask Shiho," Reina said. "I've been meaning to visit her."

Shiho, for some reason, was in charge of researching her clan and their abilities now. Maybe it was because she was the one who'd decoded that book. Maybe it was because she was the only one interested. Either way, the key to her history was in the strange scientist's hands now.

"It's a good idea," Shisui said. "Even if it's sealed away... It's good to know."

Reina nodded, before suddenly remembering one of the other reasons she'd called Shisui here.

"Oh, but before I forget," she pulled out a cloth-wrapped packaged from her schoolbag, "happy birthday, Shisui."

Shisui looked surprised, but took the package before quickly unwrapping it.

"Oh," he exclaimed. "Is this for my tanto?"

Though Kushina had offered to repurchase the ingredients for her, Reina felt like her baking mishap was a sign to go for something more practical. Shisui always carried his tanto, and Reina'd noticed a few times the sheathe was looking a little worn. It wasn't in such bad shape it needed to be replaced immediately, but hey, she really didn't know what else to get him.

"I missed your birthday," Reina said, "so I thought I'd give you your present now. Happy birthday."

"Thanks Reina," Shisui's expression softened as he ran his hands along the brown leather encasing the sheathe. "I mean it. But oh no!" His face suddenly snapped up to look at her. "Isn't your birthday coming up too? Before graduation?"

It was, technically, her 'birthday' in the beginning of November. The orphanage matron had chosen the date for her, as it was the date she'd arrived in Konoha, though it probably wasn't her actual birthday at all. Still, Kushina was already talking about preparing a nice dinner on the day, and Reina wasn't about to say no to a night of her favorite foods. It'd have to be a short celebration though, considering they were graduating with the fall class only days after, and Reina would still have to study.

"Yeah, but it's fine. I know it's a busy time with graduation," Reina said. "so really, you don't have to get me anything."

"Oh no, I totally am," Shisui said. "Just you wait. Do you still hate sugar senbei?"

"Yes," Reina made a face. She'd been surprised to hear that many civilian Uchihas ran their own senbei stands. They'd often gift giant bags of them to Shisui, who'd share with the class. Reina always refused. They had a salty-sweet soy flavor she'd never liked, even when she'd come across them in her previous life.

"Then I'll get you a whole plate of those." Shisui said, face serious.

"You wouldn't dare."

They laughed, settling back into amicable conversation as Shisui told her stories about his cousins' antics in class and what she'd missed when she was out, and Reina told him the story about her baking mishap.

It was weird, talking casually like this in the place Shisui was going to meet his end.

Still, it was a nice time. She'd want to remember this moment when things got harder later on.

 

* * *

 

Two weeks later, Reina's birthday came and went, as well as her graduation from the Academy.

Shisui, of course, ranked at the top of the class, especially in genjutsu, while Reina's own rankings in every subject hovered somewhere near the middle bottom, except for the written portion. She's not sure how it happened.

"Hey, cheer up," Iruka said, a wad of tissues in his hand. He'd had a cold the past few days, probably also from staying up to study for the exam. "You did miss a lot of class."

"I know," Reina sighed. "But..."

"And you still beat me in the written portion," Shisui moaned, hands on his head. "I stayed up all night studying for that!"

"How do you think I feel?" Reina waved her hand at the test results in front of her, "I still got beat by  _Kasuga_ in the written portion."

Shisui was opening his mouth to reply when the teacher cleared his throat.

"If you guys are done chatting, it's time to announce team placements," He said, holding a clipboard in his hand. "Now first, Team One..."

Reina groaned. Her genjutsu had improved thanks to Kurenai, but she'd been so behind in her taijutsu and ninjutsu lessons that it had brought her practical scores down tremendously. That paired with her near-perfect written scores, only served to make her look like a greatly unbalanced student on paper.

She was worried how that might affect her team placement, but it seemed she'd have no reason to worry. Her team was called next.

"Team Four will consist of Iruka Umino, Reina Kitani, and Shisui Uchiha."

Reina choked on air as Shisui's face broke into a grin.

"Dude," Reina whispered conspiratorially a few moments later, after her new team had been corralled into a nearby classroom to wait for their new jounin instructor. "That means Iruka must have scored really badly." Iruka'd excused himself to the bathroom, probably to blow his nose some more in peace.

Reina'd been paying so much attention to the people ranking above her that she'd never glanced at where people stood below her. She hadn't really known where Iruka stood on the rankings board, but she might have by now if he had been placed anywhere significantly high.

Shisui shook his head. "That's not necessarily why they'd team us together. It could be just be they're trying to balance our specialties. Iruka's pretty good at ninjutsu, you know."

"Or, maybe his cold made him score lower than usual," Reina said. "Think about it. You scored at the top, I'm technically in the middle, so it could just be that he scored at the bottom."

"Why do you always have to be so competitive, Reina?" Shisui heaved a sigh filled with drama. "Does it even really matter? Exams are over. We never have to look at grades  _ever again._ "

"Hey, you're the one who was all angry about the written exams!" She knew he was right, though. She wasn't in university anymore. But a part of her was still mad she'd scored so low; previous Reina would never forgive herself.

"Well, it's our job as shinobi to want to be the best we can be," Shisui chuckled. "I'm surprised you did so badly on the practical part of the exam, though. Maybe you should incorporate more of that stuff into your training..."

"Good to know," A voice said, and Reina nearly jumped out of her skin as a scarred man sporting a haphazardly spiked ponytail was suddenly standing before them. Screw Shisui, this guy's got shunshin down too. "As your instructor, I'll need to take things like this into consideration."

Of all people, their instructor was Shikaku Nara.

 _Is it redundant to keep pointing out all these ghosts in my life?_ Reina thought.

'

* * *

'

Shikaku ran a hand over his scarred face (was this team face-scar? Should she and Shisui get in on the action?) before continuing.

"I read through your files, though it was kind of a hassle,"  _Be more of a Nara, Shikaku,_  Reina thought. "But still, I think some introductions are in order. My name's Shikaku Nara. You might have heard a little about me." He was sitting in the teacher's spot in the front of the classroom, leaning back in his chair while Reina's new teammates sat at attention in the front row.

They all nodded. Shikaku was a pretty important figure in Konoha, as the head of his clan and a well-respected shinobi. After Iruka had come back from the bathroom, he was noticeably the most nervous of them all to meet him.

"But I want you to tell me something about yourselves the files didn't say," Shikaku continued. "Like, your likes, dislikes, goals for the future..." He gestured at Shisui. "Why don't you start? Introduce yourself."

Shisui nodded, standing up to speak. "My name's Shisui Uchiha. I like my village and my clan, I dislike war, and my goal is to be a shinobi that protects the village's peace from within the shadows!"

"Nice," Shikaku chuckled. It'd been five minute and Shisui'd already managed to charm their new instructor.

Reina went next, already prepared for the question. "My name's Reina Kitani, I like catching toast right when it pops out of the toaster, I dislike getting bad grades, and my goal is to make it past 21 years old. Oh, and to grow three inches by next year."

The group stared at her.

"I'm tired of being short," Reina said, biting the inside of her cheek. Her real goal was to not throw off the Naruto timeline but she couldn't exactly say that. Besides, it wasn't a lie that she'd prefer not to die young  _again_.

"Alright then, shrimp," Shikaku grinned. Reina narrowed her eyes at him before debating whether or not to throw her shoe. "And you?" All eyes were on Iruka now.

"Oh! Um," Iruka had heard them all go, yet somehow still seemed surprised by the question, his nose-scar creasing as he tried to think of his answers.

"My name's Iruka Umino, I like my family, and I like eating ramen, though I don't really like menma. But I'm trying to learn to eat it because my parents say it's good for you. Oh! And Maze Gohan. I really don't like Maze Gohan." He smiled as he said the next part. "And my goal is to become an awesome shinobi just like my parents someday!"

Shikaku nodded his approval, getting to his feet. "We're in the midst of a war right now, so even though this team has more early graduates than most-" He glances at Shisui and Reina as he says this, "I'm expecting us to move through our training together at a normal pace. With that said, let's meet tomorrow, morning at the Northeast training ground. 8am sharp, don't be late. Dismissed."

"Why 21?" Shisui asked later as they headed home together.

"It's just a number I picked," Reina shrugged. Actually, it was the age she'd died at in her previous life, but let's not creep the kid out.

"It's... Kind of a weird goal," Shisui said, hands behind his head as he looked up at the sky. Despite the fact they were still walking and his eyes were off the road, Reina was irritated to know he'd never actually trip.

Reina might have expected him to say something reassuring, like 'you'll definitely live past then', but in the world of shinobi, those kind of claims were a little taboo. You never really know when you're going to get a kunai to the neck, especially in the midst of war.

"Kushina's hosting a celebratory graduation dinner tonight," Reina said, changing the subject. "Are you free?"

Shisui smiled but shook his head. "Sorry. My dad wanted to have our own dinner."

Reina was glad to have finally found out more about Shisui's family life recently, or at least his father. She wondered if she'd ever heard of them in the original series, but then again, by the time they got to the main series all the Uchihas except one would be dead.

Shisui left with a pat on her shoulder, and Reina headed off to Kushina's for a night of distractions.

 

* * *

 

Reina woke at 6am the next morning, shivering in the cold morning air. She didn't usually need all that time to get ready, but today would be Reina's first full day as a genin.

She couldn't help but want to look the part.

"I should've rethought this haircut," Reina muttered to herself. She was trying to decide where exactly to wear her new hitai-ate, but Kushina had recently helped her cut her bangs short since Reina thought it might help cover up her bug-eyes (she didn't  _care_  about the Crazy Eyes nickname, but she didn't want to  _invite_  it either), as well as keep the hair out of her face during training. But now she couldn't really put her hitai-ate on her forehead, lest she risk the insignia being covered by her newly blunted fringe.

Her bangs were now pretty much a cheap knockoff of the ones Hinata had in the series, so she'd probably had the same problem Reina was experiencing. Reina considered taking a page out of the Hyuuga girl's book and dropped the hitai-ate to her neck as an experiment.

"No way!" Naruto said immediately. "You gotta wear it on your forehead so everyone can see it better!"

"You know," Reina replied dryly, "I have a feeling I don't want advice from someone who wore  _orange_  for most of his shinobi career." Though to be fair, the version of Naruto in front of her was instead wearing a pale yellow shirt sporting the Uzumaki swirl, the kind he'd worn when he was her age in the series.

"But," she continued as the boy pouted, "I am kind of worried if I wear it around my neck, it'll move around a lot when I'm fighting..." Hinata had probably remedied the situation by tucking it into her hood, but Reina had no such outerwear.

"Arm it is," she sighed. Maybe she's switch back to the forehead later, if she ever grew out the bangs.

The rest of her somewhat thin, straight black hair fell limply past her shoulders. She had to brush it aside to fasten the forehead protector on one of the sleeves of the slate blue shinobi-grade top she wore. The color clashed with her eyes, but she hadn't realized that when she'd first purchased it. Too late now, then.

As soon as she lifted her arm, the forehead protector slid off her sleeve.

"Ugh fuck," Reina swore. "They made this look so easy in the show."

She tugged it around her waist into a belt, and decided to deal with it later if that became some sort of problem.

Next, she slipped on the black gloves Shisui had gotten her for her birthday. The gloves were long enough to cover the seal on her left wrist, and provided ample padding that she probably wouldn't need since she wasn't an avid user of taijutsu. Still, it was a thoughtful gift. And besides, they matched her pants.

Then, with one last glance in the mirror, she deemed herself ready to head out.

Shisui grinned once he saw her approaching the field, throwing one arm around her shoulder and dragging Iruka into the hug with the other.

"This is going to be the best team ever guys!" Shisui beamed. He and Iruka were both also sporting their hitai-ates on their foreheads, the metal gleaming in the early morning sun.

"See," Naruto said. " _They_  get it."

Reina ignored him, glad for the distraction when Shikaku finally arrived, right on time. He was surprisingly reliable, all things considered.

"Alright," Shikakau said. "Let's get started then. Why don't we start off with some sparring?"

There were no bell tests with Shikaku, mind games or tricks. Instead, he was far more straightforward went their training. Perhaps that was just the way he preferred to teach.

Perhaps they just couldn't afford to lose any soldiers during the war.

But unfortunately, he really was as smart as his reputation led on.

"Hey shrimp. You don't like taijutsu much, do you?" Shikaku commented as he observed Reina's spar with Shisui. It'd been the usual fare, throwing a few kunai and basic jutsu around for a few minutes. "You seem to be avoiding it."

Reina straightened her back. "I... I mean I'm better at genjutsu-"

"Yeah, but you don't want genjutsu to be your only tool," Shikaku interrupted with a grin. "Sorry, shrimp. I saw your grades at the Academy. You need some work in that area. Ninjutsu too."

"Oh come on," Reina groaned.

"Let's start by building your foundation," Shikaku continued. "50 laps around the grounds."

" _50?!_ " The field had to be dozens of feet in diameter. It didn't seem possible. Not for her at least, in this lifetime or next.

"Shisui and Iruka too," he nodded to her teammates. "We're all in this together after all, right?"

He had to be kidding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can see here, since I'm really excited to have the plot (finally) start to pick up, I'm going to be writing longer chapters with more time between updates. This story's deviated from my outline a bit, as I'd originally meant for Reina to be out of this first arc by like, chapter five. Haha. That's my bad.


	9. Painted Blind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life as a genin takes some adjusting at first.

 Shikaku wasn't joking. When he said 50 laps, he meant  _50 laps_.

Shisui finished first, true to form. He ducked his head with a chuckle at Reina's glare as he lapped her and Iruka, who were struggling a bit more with the exercise.

Her ponytail failed to keep the sweat-soaked strands of hair from whipping in her face as she ran, and she could tell without looking that her new bangs were matted to her forehead. Iruka looked worse for wear as well, tripping once with a cringeworthy scrape of the knees, before getting back up to complete his run. They were both fighting to catch their breath when they'd finally finished their last lap.

Shikaku crossed his arms as they approached, Shisui already waiting patiently by his side.

"C'mon guys, don't they do this stuff at the Academy?" Shikaku said as Shisui offered to help Iruka patch up his knees with a roll of gauze.

"We've never ran 50 laps at once before," Reina groaned, clutching her side. Her six-year-old body in this world had officially ran more than she had ever had in the previous one altogether. Sure, people jumped buildings and raced forests in this world without a second thought, but her ability to both mentally and physically fathom all of that was coming quite slowly.

"Even for a newly-minted genin, that amount should be easy," Shikaku said with a wave of his hand. "50 is nothing compared to what you might have to endure in the real world."

"Well why don't you give a try and see how easy it is, old man?" Reina said, before her mouth seized up. That came out ruder than she'd expected.

Iruka shook his head at her from the spot where he'd flopped down onto the grassy forest floor. Shisui sighed.

To her surprise, Shikaku only quirked a brow at her statement. "I could run twice that at your age, shrimp."

"Oh, uh," Reina said, "guess the standards had dropped since then."

"Guess so." Shikaku sighed. "Alright, take five, then let's do some weapons training next." He walked off to set up the targets for their practice.

"What? Seriously? That wasn't it for the day?" Reina said, looking up from where she had joined Iruka in laying down on the grass. Shisui held out his water bottle and splashed its contents on their faces.

" _Hey!_ "

"Thought it'd help you cool down," Shisui said, sitting down besides them. Reina rapidly blinked to get the liquid out of her eyes.

"That," Reina said, mouth agape, "was the rudest thing you've done since we've met. I didn't know you had it in you."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Shisui smiled innocently.

Reina sighed at his shocking impertinence before glancing at Shisui's own new genin outfit. He was wearing a signature black Uchiha-style shirt, the giant collar completely engulfing his tiny little neck. How fitting that the Uchiha clan's preferred color palette was just as dark as their mindset.

Iruka groaned. "My legs are still on fire."

"Mine are jelly," Reina agreed.

"I don't know how you do it," Iruka turned his head to face Shisui, "You ran all that and you're not even out of breath. How are you so good at everything?"

"He's not as perfect as you think," Reina said. "You know he can't eat cold sandwiches?"

"What?"

"He can't stomach them if they're not warmed up. I watched him spit up a room-temperature katsu sandwich because of it, the freak."

"Hey," Shisui flushed. "You promised not to tell anyone about that!"

Reina rolled over onto her belly to reply, but was interrupted by their sensei's call.

"C'mon, slowpokes! Five minutes is up." Shikaku shouted, waving around a kunai. He was standing in front of a row of target-lined trees. "Get over here before I send your butts straight back to the Academy."

 _If only,_  Reina thought as they trudged over, before reaching for the weapons pouch on her hip with a sigh.

"At this rate, we might have to put off picking up missions," Shikaku said gruffly. "And it's too bad. I was going to try to set you guys up with a gig at the Rinne Festival."

"The what?" Reina asked, pulling back her arm to throw. The kunai hit the target a few inches off-center, but it was good enough for Reina.

"You don't know the Rinne Festival?!" Iruka exclaimed, eyes lighting up. "It's really fun! I go with my parents every year."

"It's next week," Shisui added, flicking three kunai dead-center into a target's bullseye. "They section off a part of the village for it. You must have had to walk through it this time last year to get home from class."

"Oh!" Reina exclaimed. "The freaky ghost carnival?" Reina remembered having to tear through a crowd wearing a variety of costumes on her way back from the Academy one night. It'd been particularly jarring to see the sea of young children wearing exaggeratedly white face paint or ghoulish masks with painted black eyes.

"You mean the historically-significant, culturally-rooted festival honoring the dead of our village?" Shikaku drawled. "Yeah, that one."

"I'm pretty sure I saw people dressed up as ghosts."

"It was probably your imagination."

"You think I just started imagining  _ghosts_?"

"What would we be doing at the festival?" Iruka asked, eagerly changing the subject. While they were talking, he managed to throw one kunai way off the trees into the forest, and another straight into the bullseye as well.

Reina frowned. He was actually pretty good with weaponry, though not consistent. She'd have to make sure to keep up or risk falling behind.

Shikaku answered his question.

"Set up tents, sew costumes, help out with the play—"

"I'm sorry," Reina interrupted, lowering her kunai, "costumes and plays? How is any of that related to being a shinobi?"

Reina was aware that this was exactly the same kind of thing Naruto had complained about when he'd first received his own crappy D-ranks, but Reina's generation had differed in one very important way; they were in a time of war. One in which they were currently kind of losing.

As a result, she'd at least expected they'd be tasked with cleaning weaponry or something at least  _partly_  useful. Could they still afford to be wasting manpower on having genin do these odd jobs around the village?

Shikaku snorted. "What, do you want us to stick you on the front lines for your first mission instead?"

"Well... No," Reina said, resisting the urge to make a face. Right, she'd better not forget her goal here. She'd even rather stay a genin and do D-ranks forever if that meant avoiding the real risk of death. "Definitely not that."

"Thought so." Shikaku said, before walking over to examine Reina's handiwork. "Well, it's not like it's an option right now anyways. You really need to work on your aim." He glanced at the target where Reina'd failed to achieve even a single bullseye. "They'll expect you to be able to hit at least one target before you're let onto the field."

Reina made a face. "Yet next week we'll be spending our time setting up a festival."

"Deal with it, shrimp."

Iruka gave her a sympathetic look. "Don't worry Reina, how bad could it be?"

 

* * *

 

"Okay," Reina said. "This is slightly offensive."

She was wearing a white kimono and a short, triangular headband atop the hair they'd made her brush over her eyes, hampering her line of sight in a way she'd been taught a shinobi never should allow.

In a few words, Reina looked like the girl from the Grudge.

"Sorry," the play's director bowed, "but you're really saving us here."

The night had started off as Reina would have expected, Team Shikaku having arrived right before sunset as discussed to help set up for the Rinne festival. It'd been about ten minutes of helping vendors set up the stands and moving boxes of foods before a haggard-looking man ran up to their team. She recognized him as the play's director, the one they'd been tasked with helping with costumes next.

"Would... Would one of you kids be free for half an hour later on tonight?" he huffed. "Our performer cancelled last minute and the play is the star of the festival! But there are some stunts required, so we can't ask a civilian."

"Stunts?" Iruka asked. "Oh, do you mean the flying scene?"

"Yes," the director nodded quickly. "so we'd need someone lightweight and comfortable with heights..."

Shisui turned to her, grinning. "Well, Reina's the lightest of us all."

Reina groaned. "Oh no."

Ten minutes later she was staring unhappily at her reflection in front of the mirror behind the stage, Shikaku smirking as she took in her getup.

"You know, out of everyone you really were the best choice. You're so pale, you already kind of look like a ghost. Stop making that face. It's not an insult, it's just a statement."

Reina glared at Shikaku anyways.

"You said there weren't ghosts!"

"I just didn't want to scare you kids off," Shikaku chuckled, "you sounded like you had an aversion."

Her aversion to ghosts weren't exactly the kind Shikaku was probably thinking of, but Reina still didn't cherish the idea of being swung around a stage in front of her old classmates and current peers in an embarrassing costume.

Still, a part of her couldn't help but agree with him. It was true, her long black hair and too-pale face in this world did make her look quite... Halloweeny. The look certainly wasn't one that Shisui or Iruka could've pulled off as easily.

"Well then," the director said brightly, "let's start rehearsing now, shall we?"

About an hour later, the rest of her team had finished helping set up the festival while Reina had spent almost the entire time strung up from the wooden beams of the stage they'd had rolled in.

It was, to say the least, an uncomfortable experience.

"Are you sure these hold?" Reina frowned, glancing back at the thin ropes tied to a harness on her back, lifting her a little more than twenty feet off the ground at its highest point. She'd been taught how to land from such a fall easily during her days at the Academy, but it'd be hard to explain to the audience why a ghost was suddenly dropping down onto the floor into a somersault.

"Of course," the director nodded, "not to worry! Now, let's practice your first lines again."

"...Yaaaagh," Reina deadpanned, lifting her hands into a claw-like position. "Is that good? I don't really know what a ghost does with their hands."

"I... I suppose it's good enough," the director sighed before one of the other actors came up to him. Reina couldn't help but wince at his costume.

The main actor was dressed as the most generic-looking ninja that could exist in this universe; he work a mask that encompassed his whole head and connected to the full-length black jumpsuit he was wear, the only identifying factor being the Konoha forehead protector tied around his neck. It looked ridiculous, and much more like the depiction of a ninja from her world than his.

"The audience is getting restless," the main actor said. "are we good to go?"

"Yes!" The director waved up to Reina before pulling open the curtain. "Good luck!"

"Thanks," Reina said dryly, wincing as the light pooled in. She blinked away the sudden brightness before recognizing a group at the back of the audience.

She groaned as caught a glimpse of Kurenai's bright red eyes, Asuma and Gai smiling besides her. Reina was still up in the rafters so she'd yet to be spotted, but that wasn't about to last long.

"Just my luck," Reina muttered to herself as the play started.

It was a strange story about a Konoha ninja that refused to give prayer at the graves of his deceased comrades during the festival, which was apparently the whole story behind why the Rinne festival even existed. As a result, he is followed around by a pesky ghost that haunts him for his impertinence. For revenge, the ghost steals bits of the ninja's memories, making a fool out of him in the village when he's chased around for forgetting to pay for groceries or leaves the house without his pants on.

 _Weird,_  Reina thought as she was lowered to the ground behind the main actor, but  _I guess out of all the weird stuff that happen in this world, this isn't that bad in comparison_.

"Yaaagh," Reina said, lifting up her hand-claws. "I am the ghost of your trusted teammate. How dare you forget me?"

The ninja actor, to his credit, was pretty. He immediately stiffened up, the shock evident even through the the tiny window in which Reina could actually see his expression thanks to the mask.

"Oh no!" He shouted exaggeratedly. Maybe he was too good. Reina fought not to plug her ears at the volume of his voice. Talk about projecting. "I can't believe you're here! I saw you die!"

"That is right. Now I am... a ghost," Reina said, glancing at the audience. "How dare you refuse to honor us, your precious fallen comrades. I am here to exact my revenge for us."

 _Crap._  Kurenai's eyes widened as their gazes met, the older girl's eyebrows shooting up into her hairline.

She rushed through her next lines, hoping to speed things up before she died of embarrassment. The other actor, unfortunately, took his role far too seriously, and completely failed to match her pace. Instead, he continued with his shouted script recitations, enunciating syllables for far longer than necessary, at least in Reina's opinion.

It was an incredible relief when it all finally ended.

"That," Shisui said after the curtain fell and her teammates had found her backstage, "...was something."

Shikaku snickered. "I never thought I'd see shrimp fly, but guess I was wrong."

"Well, I thought you did great!" Iruka beamed, patting her on the head.

"Worst. Mission. Ever." Reina said grumpily.

Suddenly, she felt long arms encircling her neck.

Reina already had the kunai halfway out her pouch, thank you shinobi instincts, before Shikaku motioned for her to stop.

"Hello there, Ms. Uzumaki," he said politely. "Are you here to pick up your ward?"

Reina spun around to see a grinning Kushina, who was either blissfully unaware that Reina had been ready to stab her for the surprise hug, or just didn't care.

"That's right! And congratulate her on her stellar performance," Kushina said with a wink. "you did great out there, Reina! I didn't know you had a knack for theater."

Reina winced. "Tell me you didn't see it too?"

"Almost the entire village attends the Rinne festival, you know," Kushina chuckled. "I'm sure everyone's seen it by now."

"Yeah," Shisui chimed in, "you see what happens when you try to ignore the festival, right? The ghost stealing your memory?"

Iruka nodded. "Nobody would want to risk that... especially the forgetting your pants part."

"Ghosts aren't reaaaal," Reina rolled her eyes. "they can't actually be that worried about it."

"You never know," Kushina chided. "the world works in mysterious ways." She turned to Shikaku before asking, "Are you guys done with your mission duties? My husband is bringing his team through and I was hoping to have Reina come meet with them."

"Of course," Shikaku nodded with a grin. "Reina's done more than her fair share of the work today."

"Ugh," Reina muttered. "Let's just go before anyone references this horrible day again."

"There, there," Kushina said, patting her on the back. "Maybe some food will make you feel better? I saw a cute little senbei stand on the way here! Not the sweet kind, of course."

Reina nodded, waving goodbye to the team as they headed out towards the food section of the festival. Unfortunately, they'd barely made it past the first stall when Kushina managed to run into someone she knew already.

"Mikoto!" Kushina shouted excitedly, though it seemed like she was  _always_  excited about something. "It's been too long!"

She waved the other Uchiha over, a toddling Itachi in tow behind her.

"Kushina," Mikoto greeted warmly. "It really has been!"

Reina had trouble paying attention to the adult women and their conversation, as Itachi was giving her a strange, almost distrustful look. It took Reina a moment to realize why.

Reina had completely forgotten about the incident at Itachi's house almost a year ago.

Oops.

"This is my student, Reina," Kushina said to Mikoto. "Reina, this is my friend, Mikoto Uchiha, and her son Itachi."

"Hello there, Reina," Mikoto smiled, before turning to Itachi. "Itachi, say hello."

Itachi didn't reply, only electing to continue gaping.

"...Hi," Reina said, giving a small flash of a wave.

Itachi kept staring.

Hey, that was  _her_  thing.

"Mother," Itachi's hand shot up suddenly, pointing at Reina, "I think she was the girl I saw!"

Reina laughed dryly. "Uh, what?" She tried for the innocent look, making Itachi's little face crease with even more suspicion. Dammit, that move never works for her.

"I'm sorry," Mikoto said, pushing Itachi's hand down with a firm pat, "I thought he was done with this by now. A while back he kept he kept going on and on about seeing another child in our house, but his father and I checked and there was never anyone there. It was probably just his imagination. Kids this age, you know?" Mikoto shook her head. "He'll grow out of it soon, I'm sure."

"No, it's true! Mother and Father weren't moving, but she was!" Itachi protested. "It was her, I'm sure of it now!"

Kushina's eyes widened as she looked at Reina.

_Shit._

Just then, she saw the back of a familiar brunette's figure walking the opposite street.

"Oh, you know what," Reina said. "I think that's Rin over there. I think I'll run ahead and catch up with her, but you two can keep talking. Bye!"

She rushed over to the older girl, praising her soul for its presence in helping her out of that conversation.

Sure, she'd probably need to deal with the repercussions of that later.

But later wouldn't be until—well, later.

 

* * *

 

Rin tried to cover her laugh when she saw Reina. She really did. The effort was so valiant Reina almost didn't have the heart to be mad about it.

Almost.

"What...  _What_  are you wearing?" Rin giggled.

With a sigh, Reina regaled her with the story of the director's plea for her to take on the ghost role in the play. Rin's look was mournful once she finished.

"I can't believe we missed that!" Rin said, cheeks puffing. "Darn that Obito, making us late again. We should've just left without him."

Reina doubted there could ever be a situation where Rin would willingly leave her teammate behind, but decided against voicing that opinion. "I am really so glad you missed it actually," Rin said. "Kushina made me think the entire village saw."

"Oh, well, I'm sure Kushina can give us a very detailed retelling of what happen—" Rin managed to say before the sound of bursting wood interrupted her.

Both girls turned to see a crowd forming around some sort of fight nearby.

They exchanged glances before moving into the crowd towards the center of whatever was happening; Reina's eyes widened when she realized the source of the commotion was none other than Gai and Kakashi. Well, mostly Gai.

She watched as Gai jumped off a nearby rooftop in his attempt to attack Kakashi from the high ground. Kurenai and Asuma were standing off to the side, an exasperated look on their faces as Kakashi side stepped his landing and Gai fell on his face.

From what little remained intact of the rim of a broken barrel around his shoulders, Reina could only assume there'd been a first, equally unsuccessful attempt.

"Curse you, my rival!" Gai shouted from the ground, shaking his fist up at Kakashi who looked like he'd just casually scraped gum off his shoe, "I will catch up next round! Just you wait!"

"Gai," Kurenai said exasperatedly, "you're disrupting the festival."

"Yeah," Asuma chimed in, chewing around the toothpick in his mouth, "people work hard all year preparing for this, you know?"

"I am sorry!" Gai suddenly shot up, standing ramrod straight, "You are right! As punishment to myself, I will run 500 laps around Konoha!"

"What?" Rin said, jaw dropping. Reina understood how she felt. "That many?"

"No," Gai corrected himself, pulling off the barrel's remains onto the floor, "700 laps, as I can only grow stronger by pushing my limits!"

"Jesus," Reina muttered. "I would literally die."

As Gai jogged off into the sunset or whatever, Kurenai noticed Reina and Rin standing there as the crowd dispersed.

"So... Nice performance," Kurenai said.

"Let's never speak of this again."

At this, Asuma laughed so hard that the toothpick almost fell into his throat. A part of Reina wished it had.

"I bet," Asuma heaved, "you were so pale you didn't even need makeup for the role, did you?"

"Role? Did we miss something?" Kakashi quipped before Reina could react, walking over to the group with his hands in his pockets.

"Reina was the ghost in today's play!" Rin informed him. "We just missed it."

"Ah," Kakashi said, "that explains... That." He gave her outfit the once over with the raise of an eyebrow.

Reina shook her head. "You are all making me relive the worst moment of my life."

"Aw, it wasn't so bad. It was kind of cute," Kurenai chuckled. "you were like a tiny, angry, floating ghost."

"That," Reina said dryly, "is not helping."

"By the way, where did you and Obito run off to?" Rin said, turning to Kakashi. "I lost you guys once we got here." Rin crossed her arms.

Reina snickered. "Ooh, Kakashi's in trouble."

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "He insisted we go get taiyaki. He actually sent me over to find you so you could join us."

"Oh, that sound like fun!" Rin turned to Reina. "Care to join us?"

"Uh, maybe next time," Reina said, staring down at her outfit. She was now more eager than ever to find a change of clothes and rid herself of the horrible costume, but that was when she heard a voice from behind her.

"Why not?" Obito teased. "Are you still avoiding Kakashi? Still embarrassed about your crush?"

The group turned to see Obito, a fish-shaped treat on a stick in his hand. He waved it around in greeting.

"Obito! You need to stop running off all the time," Rin said, hands on her hips now. Obito grinned apologetically, rubbing his nose with his free hand.

"And more importantly, the answer is no!" Reina gave a frustrated sigh. "I told you weeks ago, I never actually had a crush on him!"

"Sure, sure," Obito said. "Then there's no problem just coming to get a snack with us, is there? Or do ghosts not eat dessert?"

Reina glared at him, before ripping the headband off her forehead and throwing it into a nearby trashcan. Wanting to prove she no longer had that stupid fake crush, Reina threw her arms up in surrender. "Fine, I'll go with you guys. But no more comments on the costume or I'm leaving."

"See you later, Reina!" Kurenai smiled, waving goodbye before heading off with Asuma. Reina then followed the younger members of Team Minato to the row of food stands that were still open now that the sun had set. The dim lanterns lit their path in the dark night, the scent of frying meat and breads filling the air. The rest of the group decided to get taiyaki from the same stall Obito had gotten his, except Kakashi, who apparently hated the stuff. By the time their group settled into a bench alongside the festival's edge with their food, Kakshi had brought over an order of yakitori he'd gotten from another stand nearby instead.

Rin was still waiting for her own taikyaki to finish being made, so the other three went ahead to save the bench for her. Obito had already bitten into the head of his fish-shaped treat, not wanting it to get cold.

"You two actually do seem kind of alike," Obito said offhandedly.

"Who?" Reina asked, still waiting for her own taiyaki to cool on the stick in her hand.

"You and Kakashi," His voice was muffled from chewing. "You're like two peas in a pod."

Reina blinked. "That makes it sounds like you're trying to matchmake us now. _"_

Was he that desperate to get rid of his competition for Rin?

 _He does kill like, a lot of people for her later,_  she thought.

"Like I said before, your imagination is really problematic," Kakashi said from where he'd sat on Obito's other side, the seat furthest from her, probably on purpose.

Obito just laughed. "No, I was just saying, you're both kind of like... These loner prodigies that never want to hang out with people, you know?"

"Well, we can't all be social butterflies like Shisui," Reina mumbled.

"Who?"

"Your... Your  _cousin_ ," Reina said. Konoha had ended up being a fairly small village in real life, and much to her chagrin, people were pretty pushy about socializing the children within their walls. Even after only living there a short while, Reina was already on a first-name basis with Kushina's neighbors. And that was not by choice.

It was hard to believe Obito didn't even know the first name of what she assumed was one of the few cousins near his age.

"Oh," Obito rubbed his neck before explaining. "The name sounded familiar, but I don't... really know much about the others in my clan. He's that other prodigy, right?"

 _Oh shoot._  Reina had pretty much forgotten; Obito was kind of the family outcast. It was sometimes hard to remember Obito had any tragedy behind him, considering his boisterous personality. Even more so when you thought of the tragedy that laid in wait in front of him as well.

"Yeah, he's actually on my team," Reina shrugged. "And he's pretty outgoing, even as a prodigy. You two are probably more alike than me and Kakashi are, if anything."

"Really?" The Uchiha's eyes darted between hers and the floor. "Oh. That's cool. I probably don't have as many friends as he does, though."

Awkward. This was awkward now.

Reina wondered if it might help if she introduced him to Shisui; they were family after all... Maybe it'd be nice for Obito if they got along.

Ah, no, she couldn't risk it; they most likely didn't cross paths that much in the original story.

"Can't be that much like Obito," Kakashi said, interrupting her musing. "Most Uchihas are known for being smart."

" _Hey!_ "

"Sorry it took so long," Rin said moments later, running up with her taiyaki in hand. Reina scooted over so Rin could sit between her and Obito on the bench. Also, because Obito and Kakashi were fighting now, and Rin wanted to be as far away from their loud bickering as possible.

"Thanks," Rin smiled, taking the seat, before glancing at Obito and Kakashi's banter. "...Did I miss something?"

"Just reminding Obito where he stands in terms of intelligence," Kakashi said lightly, before Obito threw his taiyaki stick at his face. He missed, which only seemed to fuel his anger.

"You're one to say!" Obito roared. "Bakakashi!"

Kakashi scoffed in reply. "How childish."

Rin sighed, long-suffering. "Not this again..."

"So," Obito grinned once the fighting finally died down, probably reminded of their original conversation at Rin's presence. "What is it you see in Kakashi?"

Reina choked on her taiyaki. Goddamnit, even Rin was giggling. The older girl was obviously not threatened by Reina's perceived affection. Well, it probably helped that Kakashi was more than twice Reina's age. You think that fact might've impeded Obito's teasing just a bit, but no.

"I said," Reina said. "I don't have a crush on him anymore. Some might say I never did. Besides, I'm betting you're the one who has the hots for him, not me, Obito. You sure like to pick fights with him."

"WHAT?!"

"Sorry, Obito," Kakashi said. "You're not my type."

 _That_  one really set the Uchiha boy off.

After some more long, loud arguing, the conversation finally quieted. Reina wasn't sure how, but just _listening_  to them fight felt draining. Yet there they were, back at it every five minutes.

As Obito and Rin stood to throw away their taiyaki sticks, Reina watched as their silhouettes move down the street.

It prompted her to glance at Kakashi, who had long finished his own food and was now staring at the clouds.

A part of her wondered, once the two were gone, would they still talk? Or would Kakashi want to avoid the girl whose presence really only served to remind him of his fallen teammates? After all, they hadn't really hung out together outside of Team Minato.

 _You should hope he avoids you,_  she thought in retaliation,  _Less chances to ruin the timeline._

Ugh, so true.

She did sometimes imagine what Kakashi might do if he found out later, that she could've stopped some of those tragic deaths surrounding him.

_Kill you, probably._

...Good thing he'd never know.

She is still thinking about their deaths when Obito and Rin returned, which suddenly prompted a question she would regret voicing.

"Hey, if you guys were going to die tomorrow, what would you want to do on your last day?"

SUBTLE.

_Shouldn't you, perhaps, have learned to control your mouth by now?_

They all stared at her for a moment, before Obito coughed awkwardly, breaking the silence.

"Uh, what?" he said, eyebrows knitting. "Where did that come from?"

Rin chuckled nervously. "That's kind of a weird thing for such a little kid to be asking, isn't it?"

"Especially when she's wearing that outfit," Kakashi added, leaning back into the bench with his arms crossed. "It's like you're the ghostly companion to the grim reaper."

"Uh, rude," Reina replied weakly. She totally knew what he was talking about, though. Reina must've looked like creep city right about now, especially when hinting at their demise to their faces. "Nevermind, it's a stupid question."

Kakashi is staring at her. He doesn't say anything, but kettle-black eyes are now roaming her face as if looking for clues of hidden intentions.

Great. Just what she needed.

"Yeah seriously, nevermind. It was a  _really_  stupid—"

"Well," Obito said suddenly. " if I knew I was going to die tomorrow, then I would spend my last day doing everything I could to prevent it!"

Reina almost groaned aloud.

She'd been hoping he'd saying something that she could help with to ease her guilt, like eat a bucket of ice cream or meet a celebrity. Damn shounen characters.

"That's not how it works." Reina said. She could see why Obito and Naruto were so often compared.

"Why not?"

"Like, the scenario is that you're destined to die tomorrow, and for some reason, you know about it, so the question's about what you would do with your last moments. You're not supposed to change the scenario itself."

"If I'm destined to die tomorrow, shouldn't I be fighting destiny then?" Obito argued. "Wouldn't you?"

"You can't always fight destiny," Reina said. "Some things are just pre-determined to happen."

"See, you do sound just like Kakashi!" Obito shouted, pointing a finger right at Reina's nose. "What is with you prodigies? Of course, you can fight destiny! You can fight anything if you try hard enough! Just like I'm going to become Hokage someday, even if nobody else thinks I can!"

" _Uh_ ," Reina said, feeling her soul leave her body, before pushing Obito's hand away from her face. What was with Uchihas and pointing at her today? Well actually, that was probably more her own fault.

 _Seriously, does anyone NOT want to become Hokage in this place?_  Reina thought to herself. It was ridiculous.

"I think your stupidity's rendered her speechless," Kakashi said after a beat of silence. "Good job, Obito."

"I'm not being stupid!" Obito protested, before turning back to face Reina. "I'm trying to tell Reina something important!" He jumped onto the bench for this part of his speech, much to the rest of the group's horror. "You can _always_  fight back, okay? Even if people tell you that you can't, there's always a way. You're going to be a shinobi soon, so the last thing you should be is afraid to fight, even when it comes to something like destiny!"

It was a little unfair, as Obito wasn't in a situation like hers, where changing a set destiny could mean ruining the lives and future of those around her. But even then, she knew he'd never do what she was if he was in her place. He was the type that would never allow someone to suffer right in front of him.

Of course, even with that line of thinking, he still does some terrible things later on. Kind of made that a moot point, in her opinion.

"Got it, Obito," Reina said. "I'll make sure to remember that. Now can you get down from there?"

 

* * *

 

After the festival, time seemed to pass quickly during her first year as a genin. Soon, she'd had a few D-ranks under her belt, the missions varying from boring to tedious to even fun at times. Some of her best memories though, was afterwards when Shikaku would sometimes take them to the Akimichi District for barbecue, and they'd recount all the ways they'd caught wayward pets or repainted old window shutters.

Perhaps it was because of how nice and calm things had become, now that her Tomeru was sealed and she was getting the hang of shinobi life, that the months seemed to fly by. Before she knew it, summer gave way to fall, which then gave way to winter.

Obito and Rin were promoted to chunin that spring.

 

* * *

 

Kakashi was promoted to jounin so incredibly soon after Obito and Rin's own promotion, even Reina could admit Obito had a right to feel a little overshadowed, though she'd never say it out loud. It wasn't wise to encourage the young Uchiha's rants about his silver-haired teammate.

Of course, Kakashi now being a jounin, Reina also knew what else was about to happen.

It didn't help that Naruto was here to remind her.

"You're running out of time!" Naruto exclaimed. He wasn't waving his arms around or pouting like usual, as if actually trying to convey his seriousness. He was still so short his eyes barely peeked over the edge of the table though, so that didn't help his cause.

"Time to do what?" Reina asked mildly, still working on her seal exercise. Kushina had her working on the Enclosing seal as of late, which required a swift hand and more concentration than the young unborn hero was allowing her.

"To stop Obito from going on that mission! You know it's coming up soon."

Reina scoffed. "Look, for the hundreth time, I'm just going to let things play out. It's not like he's actually going to die, anyways."

Knowing that fact in particular was a source of comfort for Reina, who recently felt bad in having to admit she had actually been relieved to hear about Kakashi's promotion. Sure, it meant dark times were just up ahead, but it was also solid proof she hadn't actually set anything majorly off-course. At least, not yet.

Naruto frowned. "But he's going to be sad. Everyone's going to be sad he's gone, too."

Reina pulsed her chakra into the brush before gliding it across the open scroll. "It's a sad world, Naruto. You'll know that more than anyone, one day. Once you, you know, exist. Haha."

"I know it's sad!" Naruto said, petulantly crossing his arms. "I'm not saying it isn't, I'm saying you gotta do something about it!"

"No," Reina said firmly, rotating the paper before gazing at it. She's missed a stroke somewhere, as she could feel the chakra flowing through the paper missing a link. "I don't see the point. I've managed to get this far without changing anything."

"So you're just going to sit there and do nothing?" Naruto demanded, walking around the edge of the table closer to where Reina was seated. "Even when Rin really dies? Or... Or when my parents...?"

Reina's hand flinched at that.

"Even after all they've done for you? They even let you live with them!"

"Look," Reina said, swinging her legs over in her chair to face the boy, before picking up the yarn-woven coaster sitting on the table, "time is like a tapestry. You try to undo even just one thread, and it all comes apart." For effect, she pulled at one of the frayed strings of yarn at the edge of the coaster, and sure enough, more than half of the square came undone. She let the misshapen pile spill from her hands before continuing. "See? It's useless now, and Kushina's going to be kind of pissed. Anyways, I'm smart enough to know not to meddle and risk pulling a string. It's just not worth the risk. Besides," she tried to elbow the boy chidingly before remembering he wasn't real, "uh, besides—you'll get to save everyone eventually, right? Don't you want to be the village hero? It's your destiny! You'll even get to achieve your dream and become Hokage someday."

Naruto stared at her. Perhaps after the Obito thing she should've known not to bring up destiny.

"Uhhh..." She started to search for something else to say, but Naruto beat her to it.

"Are you scared?"

"No." Reina laughed nervously. Man, now she understood why her staring must've creeped out everyone else. There's something inherently unsettling about a little kid that won't stop glaring at you. "Why do you ask?"

"You seem scared." Naruto's eyes hardened, looking up at her with a determined expression she knew all too well.

"I'm not  _scared_ ," Reina corrected. "I'm being smart about it. Look, the war's probably going to end soon. If I didn't screw that up, it's a good thing. Can't you just let it go?"

"You're scared." Naruto said. "I can tell. You're scared you're going to die, aren't you?"

"What? No. I mean, I'd really really like not to die, but this is also just to make sure you guys all get your happy ending."

"That's just an excuse. You don't want to change anything so you can make sure you know exactly what'll happen in the future. That way you can make sure you'll stay safe."

Reina crossed her arms. Naruto was getting a little testy with her lately. Was that true to canon? "Well, I mean, it's one of the perks. If legendary shinobi like Minato, Kushina, Shisui,  _and_  Shikaku can't keep themselves alive in this place, am I really in a position to give up any advantage I have?" Reina shrugged. "Though I wouldn't say it's the entire reason. But sure, call me selfish. Either way, the end result is the same."

"Those are shinobi. You didn't have to become a shinobi—"

"Even if you're not a shinobi, you're in danger here. Less than a decade from now, there's going to be a massacre where a bunch of innocent civilians will die for being in a clan with a special kekkei genkai. And guess what," Reina gave a small wave, "I've got one of those too. So maybe I was a little worried about being killed off like a sidelined Uchiha or something. At least now I know a little self-defense."

Naruto frowned. "You really don't feel bad? Not even a little?"

Reina bit her lip for a moment before opening her mouth to reply, but just then there was a knock on the door.

"Uh, come in," Reina called, turning towards the sound. "It's open." She turned back to see Naruto's image was gone. It was Reina's turn to frown now, as she realized Naruto seemed to show up less and less lately. And it seemed now he only showed up when he wanted to lecture her. Strange.

"Hey Reina!" Rin bounded into the living room, tilting her head with a smile as she sidled up to the table. "How are you?"

"Good," Reina said, raising a brow. "you look chipper. Did something happen?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary. Just, we're going on a mission soon," Rin smiled. "I just wanted to say a quick goodbye to Kushina and you before we left."

"Oh," Reina said hesitantly. "Um, Kushina's at the market, but she should be on her way back soon." She paused, before asking, "Is this... some sort of special mission?"

"No, not technically..." Rin's smile grew at this. "Though actually, Minato just told us Kakashi gets to lead this mission for us! Isn't that great? I'm so happy for him, he's really come so far. Especially for someone our age."

"Oh yeah..." Reina said, eyes widening. "That does sound cool."

"It's really inspiring, in a way. Maybe it won't be long until Obito and I make jounin ourselves! I feel like we're all growing up so fast now..." Rin said, before twirling around as someone burst in through the front door.

"Rin!" Obito exclaimed. "I knew I'd find you here!"

"Obito! You should've at least knocked." Rin scolded. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Yeah," Reina chuckled dryly, partly relieved Obito at least didn't take the door off the hinges in his entrance, "real grown up."

"Haha, it comes slower to others than some..."

Obito blinked. "Whaa? What are you guys talking about? Actually, nevermind." He turned to Rin. "Weren't we supposed to meet earlier? You said you'd help me sew up that hole in my jacket!"

"Oh, right," Rin said apologetically, "I just wanted to stop by and say bye to Kushina before our mission tomorrow..."

Obito waved his hand dismissively. "I don't get why you always want to see everyone off right before. They're just your normal everyday missions! "

"It's not like every other," Rin argued back, "we're going pretty far from the village this time! Who knows what'll happen." Her face relaxed a bit. "But you're right. I'm sure we'll be fine, especially since Kakashi's leading this one."

Obito groaned. "Man, who could forget." He turned to Reina. "Rin won't stop talking about how proud she is of him. I bet she's already told you about it, huh?"

"Oh yeah," Reina said, trying to focus. "really annoying." There were a million thoughts racing through her mind right now. A Kakashi-led mission in a faraway land? Right after his promotion to jounin? That could only mean one thing...

This was it. Kannabi Bridge was happening now. Or... Soon, at least.

It was almost funny, the irony of the fact she and Naruto had just been discussing this subject moments ago.

Obito coughed. "Wait what? I didn't say that she was being  _annoying_... That's a little harsh."

Rin actually did look a little hurt, so Reina quickly corrected herself. "Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about something else. Uh, no, Rin's totally right. Good job, Kakashi. Yayy."

"Ugh," Obito said. "not you too. Anyways, Rin, let's hurry before it gets dark."

"Right," Rin smiled, before turning to Reina. "We'll try to catch Kushina on our way, since we'll be passing the market anyways. If not though, tell her we said bye!"

"Oh okay... Sure," Reina nodded. "...but try to catch her if you can. I'm sure she'd appreciate it."

Especially if that ends up being the last time Kushina ever sees Obito. Yeah, she might be mad if she misses that.

Rin nodded back agreeably before giving her an energetic wave goodbye and heading out the door. "See you soon, Reina!"

"Bye Reina," Obito grinned, turning to leave as well. "Catch you later!"

She took in a sharp breath as she watched his back disappear from view.

"...Bye, Obito."

That was when Naruto suddenly appeared in front of her again, a blank look on his face.

"Told you that you were running out of time."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sadly I actually already had most of this written right after last chapter, but thanks to a nasty cold and the busyness of fairly new job I couldn't write the rest until recently. Unfortunately, it's fair to say the updates will likely be monthly now, since these chapters are much longer than the first ones and I'm still trying to write them somewhat carefully. But I am like really excited to write this upcoming stuff so stay tuned


	10. Comfort and Despair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Turning a blind eye isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Reina hadn't been affected by death much in her last life. All her close relatives had been alive and in good health; she'd never even had a pet die on her. Thanks to this, she wasn't exactly used to facing the aftermath of it.

Of course, it was easier knowing that Obito wasn't actually  _dead_ , per se.

"Uh. Hey there... Kakashi." Reina greeted with a stilted nod.

This part though. This part really did suck.

A month had passed since Team Minato returned from Iwa short one member. It'd all gone exactly as Reina remembered from the series, which was both good and bad news.

Good because, well, she hadn't actually messed up the timeline; bad because she'd never quite get the image of Kushina's expression as she told Reina the news out of her head.

Since then, both Minato and Kushina had become especially watchful of Kakashi, albeit from a respectful distance. His quiet way of mourning only seemed to worry the couple more. Reina might've found their concern sweet, had they not sat her down and asked her to follow the boy around in their stead.

Reina remembered wanting to say no to this request. But one look at the growing bags underneath Minato's eyes immediately shot those words back into her throat.

"You guys suck," Reina muttered to her favorite hallucination as she leapt from roof to roof, hot on Kakashi's trail. "always guilting people into crap."

"I haven't guilted you into anything yet!" Naruto pointed out, expression sour as Reina landed on a balcony overlooking Kakashi's path towards the village market. "You didn't do anything I said-or really,  _anything_  at all."

"...Nnngh," was Reina's only reply, her eyes still following Kakashi as he was approached by two men.

After a few days on her task of following the boy, Reina'd begun to realize the obvious reason why Minato and Kushina had felt it necessary that Kakashi not walk the village alone.

"Hey you." Two tall men with the signature Uchiha crest on their sleeves walked up to Kakashi. "Aren't you that Hatake Kakashi?"

Kakashi's gaze was dark as he turned to the newcomers. "What of it?"

"You have something that doesn't belong to you, kid."

It'd been unbearably frequent, these Uchiha shakedowns. Kakashi usually managed to deescalate the conversations without much trouble, but Reina felt like she was watching a ticking time bomb. Surely he was close to snapping; and that was probably why she'd been asked to keep an eye on him.

Of course, Reina wasn't exactly sure what Minato and Kushina had intended for her to do when Kakashi got accosted like this. Go down and help out? Run back home and get help?

"You're kidding, right?" Naruto said. "Go down there and help him!"

"But what if I just make things worse by getting involved?"

"You literally always say this kind of stuff, what's  _wrong_  with you?"

"...It's worked for me so far."

"You're loud." Kakashi's dry tone cut through their conversation. Reina blinked, reeling back a little.

""Uh. Hey there... Kakashi."

"Hey. I've noticed you following me, by the way. You're not great at stealth." Kakashi's hands were shoved deep in his pockets. "Minato?"

Reina glanced down to see the Uchihas were already gone. Strange. Kakashi must have already diffused the situation then.

"He means well." Reina admitted.

"Hn. Well you should stop."

"Would if I could."

All things considered, Kakashi's reaction to her stalking was surprisingly nonchalant, even letting Reina continue alongside him on his trek through town. It was clear that Obito's death had somewhat stymied his temper, a striking contrast to how most characters seemed to deal with death in this series.

"I'm meeting with Rin." Kakashi said cooly as they made their way to the village gates. Reina wasn't sure she wanted to know what he could possible have planned for the day that would take him out of the village, but unfortunately, it was her job to find out. "She'll be glad to see you. It's been a while, right?"

This was true. Reina hadn't seen much of the brunette since Obito's funeral. She'd only really seen Kakashi because of the stalking thing.

"Yeah." Reina nodded. "I'd like to see her too."

And it was true. There was an infectiously warm, yet unimposing, energy to Rin. Reina hated to say it, but she'd even come to miss the girl a little in the last month.

They made their way to the giant green gates, which dwarfed the familiar brunette as she waved her greetings.

"Reina, it's been too long! I asked Kakashi to come help me pick some medicinal herbs that only grow right outside the village," Rin smiled. "if you'd join us, that would be a great help."

"Sure," Reina said. "what monster would say no to picking life-saving herbs?"

"Um, well, they're really only for light burn wounds... Like salves, but... Sure!"

They left before Reina could further crush her own dignity.

 

* * *

 

"Weren't you excited after you heard the news?" Rin said brightly, bent over the foot of a tree picking what Reina could only discern were useless bunches of grass, though Rin promised otherwise. "About Kushina?"

"Yeah. I can't believe they're already having a baby." Reina glanced up to see if her friendly neighborhood Naruto hallucination was nearby, but he'd disappeared after Kakashi's approach a few hours ago.

"It's so exciting... I hope it's a girl! Don't you think that'd be cute?"

Reina smiled before tossing her own pickings into a nearby basket.

"I don't know, something tells me they might have a boy."

"Maybe. Well, whichever it is, I just hope they don't have Kushina's temper. Can you imagine the tantrums?"

"I can't. I really can't."

Rin chuckled, and Reina couldn't help but think how nice this day was going. Something about the light lilt of Rin's laughter and the comfortable silence otherwise appealed to Reina. Even Kakashi was displaying more social behavior than usual. Though he had run off to pick his own herbs by the water alone, he at least _told_  them where he was going off to. That was a sure improvement to his usual behavior the last few weeks.

Except for the obvious absence of one member of the group, it almost felt like things were starting to go back to the way they used to be.

 _Guess life just moves on,_  Reina thought to herself.

That was when she looked up to see the sword swinging over her head.

 

* * *

 

Every time she thought back on this moment, all she could think about was how it had happened far too quickly.

It'd only been a month.

A month? That was it?

No. No way.

She'd thought there'd be more time.

_Crack._

_Nonono,_ Reina thought. She'd barely dodged the sword in time, watching as the unknown shinobi sliced into the dirt where she'd just been standing.

The wind quickened as the ground quivered underneath their feet.

Rin had turned at the noise, dropping her basket before quickly standing.

A crowd was forming in front of them. Figures in dark clothing without the barest hint of a Konoha insignia.

The garb was unfamiliar, yet the masks; those were unmistakably Anbu.

"Hey kids," a deep voice said. It was the man that'd struck at her. He had his sword raise again, ready to strike. "let's not make this difficult."

Etched into the tops of the white porcelain were four quick dashes.

"Kiri," Rin whispered, not taking her eyes off the intruders as she slowly reached for her kunai pouch.

Reina turned slowly, every move filled with dread.

They were surrounded by  _Kiri_  shinobi.

The scene was becoming all too familiar.

_This is it._

"Run, Reina."

And she did.

 

* * *

 

Obito's capture, Reina had seen coming, at least to an extent. But Rin's actual death had come much sooner than Reina expected.

"Nice day out," Reina commented lightly, trying to make conversation. "plenty of... sun. And trees. Leaves too."

Kakashi didn't reply.

"Lots of leaves actually. We really have a lot of trees, huh? Guess that's why it's called the village hidden in the leaves." Reina paused. "...I can't believe I just got that."

More silence. They were at their second funeral in two months, after all. She shouldn't have expected much.

Rows of people, some shinobi, some civilian, stood in short rows in front of the small grave. Reina recognized some of the people here as being the same from Obito's funeral, though none of them were Uchihas this time.

That was probably for the best. The silver-haired boy had enough on his plate.

 _You should comfort him,_  Reina thought.  _Talk about anything, anything, except_ leaves _._

She would've too, if she hadn't been so surprised by his demeanor. His shoulders were hunched, and despite the fact he towered above her, his back had never looked so small.

Reina hadn't been affected by death much in her last life, but as she gazed at Kakashi, she was staring to realize exactly how much it could rock a person to their core.

 

* * *

 

"You talked to Kakashi?" Shisui asked, throwing her a kunai. She caught it with one hand.

"Yeah," Reina said, dragging it through the dirt near her feet where she sat, instead of throwing it at the target in front of them. It'd been a few weeks now since the funeral. "not for long though. Then he just walked off." The kunai caught on a rock before slipping out of her hands; Reina let it fall. "It's for the best, though. My foot was in my mouth the entire time."

"...What?"

"What I mean is, I forgot to say anything useful. I just... blanked. Talked about trees."

"Trees are nice," Iruka tried to add helpfully.

"Trees are nice," Reina repeated affirmatively. "but not great funeral topics." She paused. "Though I doubt it'd make a difference anyways. He probably hates me."

She'd left his friend to die, after all. Ran off like the coward she was.

A part of Reina knew Kakashi would cut her slack for being all of six years old (almost seven); at least to the rest of the world. Then again, he knew her as a prodigy. There was a chance he saw through her act.

She was an adult in a child's body. She was an adult that allowed a child to die.

"Reina,  _stop._ " Shisui said. "You know that's not true."

"Yeah, like you'd know better," Reina muttered under her breath. "I'm the reincarnation here."

"What?"

"Nothing," Reina picked up the kunai again before spinning it around her finger. "isn't your birthday coming up, by the way?"

"...Weird change in subject," Shisui crossed his arms. "but yeah, what about it?"

Reina's eyebrow furrowed. "Do you like sweets?"

Thanks to the war being over, wartime rationing was no longer an issue. They could buy all the ingredients for baked goods more easily. Shisui's seventh was coming up as well, and Reina wondered if this was the year she'd finally be able to make that cake.

"Kind of... You're not going to cook something, are you?"

"What's wrong with my cooking?"

Iruka choked on a cough.

"No offense Reina... But you're not the  _best_  cook." Iruka threw his hands up defensively at her glare. "B-but you're not the  _worst_  either!"

"Hey. I'm great at cooking."

"You burnt the meat every time we let you cook at barbecue." Shisui pointed out. "Every. Single. Time."

"Remember that time the fire wasn't even on yet?" Iruka chided in. "And yet... Somehow..."

"Yeah yeah," Reina finally threw her kunai at the target. It missed, hissing its way past the wood post deep into the forest.

Today was not her day.

"Obito's probably having a worse one," Naruto said suddenly from behind her. "or Kakashi, even."

Reina yelped.

"Where the hell did you come from?" she hissed.

"Uh," Shisui and Iruka both threw her a strange look. "who are you talking to?" Shisui asked.

"Nobody," Reina said, glancing as the Naruto hallucination walked off into the forest after his abrupt declaration. "I'm going to go get the kunai. Don't wait up."

Reina hurriedly went after the blonde boy, before making an embarrassing attempt to grab him by the shoulder. Her hand slid right through.

"Right. Hallucination." Reina muttered. "Why am I chasing after you anyways?"

Naruto ignored her, only going deeper into the forest. Reina stopped, letting him disappear into the horizon.

"Whatever," Reina muttered to herself, turning back to rejoin her team.

"Oh, it's you _._ "

Reina groaned.

Just what she needed. Little Itachi Uchiha, who'd somehow been left to run around unsupervised in a dark forest near sundown.

"Hey there." Reina said, taking a long-suffering breath. She readied herself for him to start up his crazy 'you stopped time rant' (not that he was actually wrong); instead, he stared blankly at her.

"Hello." Itachi replied calmly back.

Wait, what? 

The young Uchiha held himself differently than she'd remembered; there was something lost in the gaze he used to stare her down. It was harder, yet somehow wiser. Reina couldn't understood how someone so young could wear such an expression.

Especially towards her.

"You look like something's troubling you," he said.

"Uh... I guess?" Reina replied, inching back slowly. "It's been a long day."

"I see. I hope it gets better." Itachi nodded. "Perhaps you'll feel better about things tomorrow. My father always says, a good night's sleep makes most of life's problems seem lesser."

"...Thanks?"

It was eerie, not because of how different this sagely Itachi had been from the younger, lighthearted toddler she'd known; but how similar he was to the one she'd always known he'd become.

She didn't have time to dwell on it, though, before she heard one of her teammate's voices.

"Reina?" Shisui called, approaching through the thicket of the forest.

Panic filled her chest immediately.

Shisui and Itachi weren't supposed to meet until they were older, right? Had she thrown something off?

"You find your kunai yet?" Shisui continued, the sound of his voice growing closer.

Reina's eyes widened.

"Gotta go kid," she called out to Itachi before running off towards Shisui's voice.

"Reina!" Shisui exclaimed, before glancing down at her empty hands. "Didn't find it yet, huh?"

"Uh no," Reina said quickly. "guess it's lost forever. Oh well."

"Don't be silly, I'm sure it's not far." Shisui said, turning to head back on the path towards where Itachi had been.

Reina instinctively shoved Shisui off the path.

"Ow!" he yelped.

"Sorry! Hand... Must've slipped?"

"You're joking." Shisui took Reina's offered hand before pulling himself up. "Well, let's keep looking at least, we're already here-"

"Not that way!" Reina said immediately, pulling Shisui back.

"What?" Shisui glanced towards the path. "What's wrong with that way?"

"Nothing, but uh, just don't go down there." Reina blinked innocently. "Do you trust me?"

"Never."

"...Look, just trust me."

Shisui stared for a moment, the wind rustling the leaves above their heads. That was the strange thing about Konoha. She heard the wind here more than she had in her past world.

"Fine," Shisui said, crossing his arms. "but you'll have to tell me later." Reina sighed in relief as he rubbed his hip. "I still can't believe you shoved me that hard, though."

"I'm pretty strong for a seven year old."

"You're not seven yet. Your birthday's after mine."

"I know. That's why I was asking you if you liked desserts." Reina frowned. "Can you at least hint what you'd want this year?"

"Isn't it supposed to be a surprise? What's the point if I tell you?" Shisui teased as they made their way back to the training grounds.

Reina groaned. "C'mon, just help me out."

"Well, what I'd really like is some better missions. Can you believe we had to catch a cat last week?"

"Yes. I do believe it. I was there."

"Well, I want to start taking on some C-ranks! A lot of the other kids from our class already have. Shikaku's only holding back on us because we're so young." Shisui said. "But don't you think it's about time?"

"There is literally," Reina said, "nothing I'd like less."

"Why not?!"

"Just... C ranks. Hm. I guess I'd like to avoid the hassle of them if I can."

"You're going to have trouble getting to Chunin if you avoid them, though."

"I don't want to be a Chunin."

"... _What_?"

Reina knew it was horrible that she was relieved the war was over before she'd had to fight it, considering what it'd cost. But she was.

Like Shisui said, they hadn't even gotten their first C-rank yet, let alone left the village gates, before the war had ended. That had gone as planned. She liked to think she'd survived this long thanks to her own careful planning.

And after all she'd let happen for that guarantee, she wasn't about to deviate.

"Honestly, I'd be fine if you and Iruka moved on without me. Chunin sounds like a lot of danger. And work. No thank you."

Shisui's jaw dropped. "You've got to be kidding. We're shinobi. That's all the job  _is_."

"Well," Reina shrugged. "guess I chose the wrong career path. Nothing wrong with being a genin forever, right?"

He was staring at her like she'd grown a second head. "Do you really think Shikaku's going to be okay with that?"

"He's a  _Nara_. If I tell him I don't want to take it because it's too much trouble, he of all people should think that's reason enough."

"...Okay, yeah, it's hard to argue with that."

 

* * *

 

"Hey," Naruto said quietly from across the room as Reina laid wide-eyed in her bed, staring at her ceiling. "Aren't you going to do something?"

Reina'd taken to ignoring Naruto more recently. His tone had soured quite a bit recently, which she didn't appreciate. She wasn't sure she'd ever seen him so openly hostile in the series itself.

"Obito's alive out there somewhere, but everyone who loves him thinks he's dead," Naruto continued. "What are you waiting for? Go tell them!Team up with Kakashi and you guys can figure out a plan. You won't know until you try!"

"Shut  _up._ " Reina mumbled, kicking up her blanket. "I'm trying to sleep. We have training again early tomorrow."

"Who cares about training?! You don't even want to be promoted, you said so yourself! What's the point then?"

"I don't know! Learning self-defense? Trying to survive? Any of that ring a bell? We're both starting to sound like broken records."

"You were his friend." Naruto said, voice a level softer. "You could save him."

"Come on, Naruto. Not everyone can be like you." Reina closed her eyes in a final attempt to sleep. "I can't move literal mountains with the power of friendship."

A moment of silence stretched long between them. Reina pried one eye open to glance at the room's other end, wondering if Naruto had pulled his disappearing act again.

"Why are you even here?" The boy was suddenly at her bedside, bright blue gaze not at all eclipsed by the night.

"Jesus Christ," Reina breathed, "how do you move that fast? You could even give Shisui a run for his money."

"You didn't answer me. Why do you even bother staying here? You know what happens next."

"What happens next? Wh-oh." Reina averted her eyes. "You mean..."

The Kyuubi attack. Kushina and Minato were sleeping peacefully down the hall, unaware of what would happen in just a few month's time.

Kushina was already pregnant. Soon, her delivery of Naruto would unleash one of the most dangerous threats the village had ever seen. Reina had always known this would happen, but the time she'd had left to deal with it had gone from years to months.

"If you were really so concerned about surviving..." Naruto paused before continuing, "Why stay in Konoha? Especially now? The war's over. You could go anywhere you want."

Reina rolled over in her bed to stare at the blonde boy. "You know, I'm starting to think you're weirdly insightful for a hallucination."

Naruto was right though, in a strange way; if she really wanted to survive, why should she risk being in the village for the Kyuubi attack at all? So many had died in that event in the series, it was arrogant to think her six-year old body, no matter how well-equipped the mind, didn't stand the chance of getting injured or even maimed during it.

For the first time since regaining her memories, Reina couldn't help but think that maybe a C-rank wouldn't be so bad after all.

 

* * *

 

It's in the village center when she spots Kakashi.

"...Hey?"

Kakashi looks up from where he'd been reading the back of a book cover. It's small and tan with a dark brown trim and Reina thinks she knows exactly which book it is he's holding, but decides not to say anything about it just yet.

He doesn't return her greeting, only giving a short nod in return before walking off.

"You know him?" Reina turned around to see a familiar, but unwelcome, face.

Kasuga Nara. He was standing there in the middle of the road, expression dark.

"Yeah," Reina frowned. "Why do you ask?" Kasuga's cousin Ensui had been promoted to jounin right before they'd graduated, so he'd been put on his team. She'd heard they already went on their first C-rank and from the look of his mission gear, it seemed he'd just returned. Obviously, Ensui's tutelage was a little less strict than Shikaku's.

"That's the White Fang's kid, you know."

"I know. What about it?"

"Don't you think it's a little weird? One teammate died and he gets a super-rare kekkei genkai from it; then the only other witness to what happened kicks the bucket right after?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Seriously? And here I thought Naras were supposed to be smart."

"C'mon, you're a little prodigy yourself aren't you? Haven't you noticed how weird that guy is?" Kasuga shook his head. "You gotta watch out for that Uchiha kid on your team at least. Who knows, maybe Hatake'll go for a matching set next."

"Something tells me Kakashi's not the one Shisui needs to worry about." Reina said, more to herself, before turning to walk out of the store.

 

* * *

 

They're to spar all day today, and Reina is paired with Iruka yet again. Naruto had thrown such a big tantrum after she'd seen Kakashi that irritation was already bubbling up in her throat as she got into position.

"You haven't even gone to see how he's doing once!" Naruto said. "And all those rumors? Those are your fault! You could've stopped all this!"

Reina sighed, leaning in to whisper to the young boy, aware of her teammate's concerned expressions. "What happens if I do, Naruto?" she hissed. "What would have happened if I tell them Rin's going to die? We don't know how any of this works. What if the universe decides she has to die anyways and she just gets hit by a wagon or something instead?"

"Kakashi at least, wouldn't be the one to kill her." Naruto said quietly. "And Obito at least, he still has a chance to live his life without evil. He doesn't die until years later."

Reina leaned back. "That's not the point. And besides, if it's not Obito, can't Madara just get someone else to be his mind-puppet? It's not realistic, Naruto. You never thought before you acted in the series, but I do." Reina crossed her arms. "I'm not you."

"Are you sure about that?" Naruto asked dryly.

Reina's brows knitted in confusion before she opened her mouth to reply, but she was interrupted by a knock on her head.

"Earth to Reina?" Shisui said. "Iruka's been waiting for you to start for like, five minutes."

"Oh, sorry. Yeah, I'm ready." Reina glanced over to see Iruka was already standing at the other end of the field, kunai ready.

"You've been talking to yourself a lot lately," Shisui frowned. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Reina said. "it's nothing."

"Just because you keep saying that," Naruto crossed his arms, fuming, "doesn't mean it's actually nothing!"

"Shut up."

Shisui called out the start of the spar, and the sound of metal scraping metal filled the air for the next few moments. Reina thoroughly appreciated the distraction.

"You're getting better," Reina said, a bead of sweat racing down her temple five minutes later.

Iruka had her beat in the ninjutsu department, but Reina's greatest asset was her ability to observe and imitate; as a result of that and practice, her skills were steadily starting to catch up with the rest of her team when it came to combat and the shinobi arts. Still, Iruka was definitely winning this match.

"You too," he smiled, bending at the knees as he got into his next fighting stance. He raised his kunai up to his chin, already ready for the next strike.

He went easier on her in the next round, making it a calm affair and therefore useless in a training sense. Reina needed the break, though.

Still, the slow pace at which their spar was going seemed to bore Shisui, who stood with his arms crossed at the sidelines.

"You guys aren't putting enough into it!" he exclaimed. "Nobody takes this long to land a hit in the field."

"Kid's right."

Reina almost groaned as their teacher approached from the thicket of the forest behind them.

Shikaku's training had been a little hands-off lately, and Reina was pretty sure it had to do with his recently pregnant wife and not some sudden trust he had in his students to do well on their own. Still, his unscheduled presence today could only mean one thing.

A new mission.

"Hey kids," Shikaku grinned. "how would you feel about getting out of the village for a bit?"

"Yes, finally!" Shisui pumped a fist. Iruka looked stiff, shoulders already shaking the tiniest bit, but still nodding in agreement.

Then the team turned to her.

Reina was about to say something in protest before glancing at Naruto where he'd been standing in the corner of the training grounds. It struck her then, the memory of the conversation she'd had earlier with him.

_Why stay in Konoha?_

When he'd first asked, she barely gave it any thought. After all, Konoha was the safest place for her, considering she knew everything that would happen there. Plus, there was the issue of the war. She'd only been safe as a genin within the village's walls.

But the war was over now, and it was a good question.

Why  _was_  she still here?

"...I think," Reina's voice grew firm as her new plan started to form. "I think that's a great idea. Where to?"

Maybe this was perfect timing after all.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to the people who kept asking for Reina to save everyone but this has been planned out for a while haha ah ahhhh


	11. Fire and Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reina goes sightseeing! Just kidding. This is a deadly mission.

 

Kirigakure, in many ways, was the opposite of Konoha.

Reina couldn't believe how unbearably misty it was in person. At best, it was like walking through a particularly thick soup.

Reina'd spent the last few hours blinking moisture out of her eyes as she trailed behind Shikaku, trying to keep the back of his green vest in her line of vision as they trudged through. Still, she preferred it over making small talk in the covered wagon behind them, like Shisui and Iruka were being forced to. Walking through hot fog was a breeze compared to chatting up the trembling caravan of traders they were escorting. Even so, she felt surprisingly relaxed, considering this was their first C-rank. Those tended not to go well in the original series she knew.

But there was really no threat in traveling to Kiri right now. The war was over.

"Keep your guard up though." Shikaku warned, passing her a pack of soldier pills. Gross.

Kushina had baked fresh buns for breakfast the morning Reina'd left, and it only made the knot in her chest tighter when she'd remembered into the bursting ball of red bean. Her favorite. It was certainly preferable to the soldier pills she had to fight not to hork up.

"The war may be over," Shikaku continued, "but the people who lived through it will always remember."

"What does that even mean." Reina mumbled, shoving the pill in her mouth. She could only assume this was what the texture and taste of gunpowder was like. Perhaps if guns were invented in this universe, they could use them as bullets. Now that was a business idea.

"I heard they're not fans of Kekkei Genkai here," Shisui remarked, poking his head out of a wagon's flap. "guess we should all probably should lay low, huh?"

"Uh, mine's sealed," Reina replied. "and Iruka's fine. You just had to wear all your Uchiha gear though, didn't you?"

Shisui pouted. "You know what would happen if someone heard I left the village without this stuff? I wouldn't hear the end of it."

"It's literally a giant red and white target on your back."

"I'll bet you anything nobody here will even recognize it!"

"Deal." Reina held out her hand before adding, "Remember, you bet anything."

Shisui grinned, shaking her hand. "You're on."

"Kids." Shikaku shook his head.

"How troublesome, right?" Reina teased. "Too bad you have one on the way. Nothing says stress like a baby."

"Tch. You guys gave me all the practice I need."

"Hey, we're not babies. Shisui just turned seven!"

It was true, it'd been a week since they'd gotten this mission assignment to Kiri, and in that time they'd barely had the chance to celebrate their teammate's recent birthday. It'd also been barely enough time to scrounge up the clothes and gear necessary for the foreign climate they'd be facing. Had she known more about what to expect, she might've brought a pair of goggles or something similar to keep the mist out of her eyes.

Reina shuddered. Even thinking about goggles reminded her of Obito.

"Let's set up camp here for today." Shikaku suddenly announced, shaking her out of her reveries. Reina squinted into the mist.

"Already? Is it even nighttime yet? I can't tell."

"It's close enough. We have a few hours before we get to the main part of the village anyways. No need to rush." Shikaku shrugged, before whistling his signal for Shisui and Iruka to exit the wagons. "You kids go out and set up tents, I'll start unloading the supplies from the wagon."

A few hours later Reina was on her back staring at the roof of her tent, waiting for Shisui to come and pass her the second watch. She idly played with the ribbon of her ponytail as she waited. Moments passed before she realized she had already pulled the yellow fabric out. Looking at it only reminded her of the conversation she had with Kushina and Minato before she'd left.

"Oh my, I can't believe little Reina's going on her first C-rank mission!" Kushina had practically cooed as she helped Reina repack her bags for the upteemth time. Nobody had asked her to, but hey. That was Kushina for you.

"Um, Kushina, I don't think I need four hairbrushes."

"But your hair is so long now! What if one breaks apart while you're brushing with it? Or if you drop it and get it lost in there?"

"That's  _happened_  to you?"

Kushina pouted. "I guess yours isn't quite there yet... But still, I did wear my hair in a ponytail on missions at least. Let me see if we can't find you something..." Kushina dragged Reina over to her room before sifting through her own drawer. "Oh, here!" Kushina exclaimed, handing Reina a bright yellow ribbon. Reina eyed it warily.

"I used to love this one because it reminded me of Minato," Kushina gushed. "but I'm a little too old for it now. It'd be perfect on you, though! What do you say?"

Reina knew the yellow would clash terribly against her pale skin, but one look at the excitement on Kushina's face and she couldn't help but comply. Sure, she could bear wearing a ribbon the color of a rubber duck for a few days. Not like Kushina would ever know of after. "Beautiful," Kushina said, before ushering her downstairs. "Don't you think, Minato?"

It was one of the rare mornings when Minato was home, considering he'd just been made Hokage recently. Still, he made a constant effort to be around as much as possible; Reina would often pass by the open door of their bedroom at night and glimpse Minato working on a crib or reading a parenting book. Though Kushina was maybe one or two months into her pregnancy, preparations were well underway.

"That looks lovely, Reina."

Reina wanted to duck away to escape the compliment, but it was hard to escape Kushina's grasp. "Thanks."

"Have you prepared everything you'll need for your mission?" Minato smiled.

Reina nodded. "Yeah. I should go soon, the team'll be waiting."

"Be careful out there. I know you'll do well of course, though. You're Reina, after all." Still, there was a solemnity to his tone. Reina knew he was wary to send off another child to a mission where they might perish; which only made Reina feel worse about her plan to not return.

At least not until the Kyuubi attack was over.

She knew the implications, that she might not see the couple again before their deaths. The hug goodbye that day had been a lingering one, for the first time on her part.

Reina sighed, sitting up to retie her hair, when she noticed a similarly yellow head of hair appearing in her peripheral vision.

"What are you  _doing_?"

"Hello to you too, Naruto."

"These are my parents," Naruto said, voice lowering. "please... I'm begging you."

Reina lowered her arm, ribbon in hand.

"I've already decided. It's over now."

"Not yet! You can still stop all of this!"

"How do I stop a  _Kyuubi attack_?"

"You can prevent it, just talk to Obito, you were friends before-"

"I'm not sure if we could have even been considered 'friends'. And I'm not like you, I can't just talk people down from evil."

"How do you know? You haven't even tried-"

Their conversation was interrupted by a shout just outside her tent.

 

* * *

 

Her line of sight was muddled by the thick air, but she'd learned the hard way how to hear a kunai coming.

_Whssz._

"Shit." Reina mumbled as she fell to her knees in a duck to avoid the onslaught of kunai and senbon. Shisui gave a quick glance to confirm her wellbeing before running off to tackle whatever shinobi was attacking them.

They'd been under attack for almost an hour now, and it was starting to get old fast. Shikaku had informed them it was likely just bandits, which Kiri was known for after the war. But then he had gone off and disappeared, leaving the genin to guard the traders alone.

Reina glanced at the wagon to check on the rest of the traders, frowning as she glimpsed a foreign shinobi darting behind it and out of her line of vision.

"Great. Just what I needed."

Reina was behind the wagon herself moments later, kunai up and ready to strike—

Only to find nothing except Iruka, whose eyes were wide as saucers, and a fallen shinobi at his feet.

"Heeeee... Hey."

"Are you hurt?" Reina gave Iruka a look over before looking down at the man. The dashed forehead protector was a fairly easy indicator of identity.

Kiri shinobi. Yay, her favorite.

"Uhh." Iruka was hugging his knee, the fabric darkening right underneath his hand and staining his fingers red.

"...That's blood, isn't it? No that's totally blood."

"It's okay," Iruka said weakly, "I was just... lightly stabbed."

"Stabbing is still  _stabbing_! Show me the wound."

"What's going on? Is everyone okay?" Shisui asked, stepping in from the forest. There were scratches of dirt on his face, but other than that he looked unscathed.

"The traders are fine, but Iruka ran into some trouble and now he's injured."

"Lightly stabbed."

" _Dude._ Anyways, I'm going to help bandage up Iruka, can you get rid of this guy?" Reina asked, toeing the unconscious Kiri shinobi in front of her. A moment of silence passed with no answer before Reina turned and realized Shisui was staring at the fallen foe.

"Yeah," Shisui finally muttered quietly, peeling his eyes away from the man's forehead protector before dragging the body out by the wrists.

Reina'd forgotten she wasn't the only one that'd had a bone to pick with the Village Hidden in the Mist's shinobi. Shisui's own father might've lost his leg to a battle with them during the war a few years back, but even so, Reina hadn't expected the young Uchiha to be the type to hold a grudge. Which was ironic, considering he was a Uchiha.

"We've been in Kiri all of what, a day?" Iruka complained as Reina pulled out a small roll of gauze from her pouch. "I knew this was a bad idea."

"Yeah, but most kids our age already had their first C-rank during the war, at least ours was after." She quipped as he pulled up his pant leg to reveal his knee. The wound wasn't very deep, surely not enough to scar. Reina thought he should be thankful, considering he was a genin in the midst of a surprise attack in a foreign land and yet somehow'd managed to knock out a fully grown shinobi.

"Wait, weird question," Reina said, pointing to Iruka's face after she finished tying the bandage together. "Where did you get that scar?" She'd assumed in the series he'd gotten it in childhood on a mission, but Iruka had already sported the facial marker well into their Academy days.

"Nothing interesting. Got into my dad's shurikens when I was a baby." Iruka said sheepishly.

"Hm. You didn't seem like the plays-with-weapons type."

"I wasn't after."

"...Are you sure about that? You did become a shinobi."

Iruka's laugh was high-pitched, as if he himself just realized the irony. "You're right. Guess I didn't learn. Thanks for the help, by the way, with the bandage. I don't remember them teaching it this way in the Academy though. Did you learn it from Shikaku?"

Reina stared at the floor for a second. Rin had taught it to her. "No, just a... Friend."

"Guys!" Shisui suddenly appeared before them. "Stay quiet. There are a few more heading over, but they don't know we're here."

"Crap," Iruka said as they all ducked behind a nearby bush. "they're totally going to spot the wagon though!"

"I got it," Reina said, pulling up a series of hand seals. The wagon disappeared before their eyes, Iruka breathing a sigh of relief as it did. "but I can't hold a genjutsu this size for very long."

"It's fine," Shisui said, voice dropping to a whisper as a series of voices grew louder towards them. Reina could barely make out the bottoms of their shirts, considering the angle they were observing from, but she could tell from the heaviness of their footsteps that they were not enemies she'd want to be messing with. "they'll see nothing's here and leave. Just stay quiet guys, and Reina, focus on keeping up the genjutsu."

"Easy enough." Iruka said, voice low and quivering.

Reina understood his fears this once. She'd heard all about the dangers of missions, but it was hard to explain to someone who'd yet to experience it.

 _Just get through this. You can do this, Reina. You've survived this long._ After this mission she'd be home free, far away from war, shinobi, giant chakra beasts...

"Yeah, sounds good-" Reina started to say, before the image of Naruto suddenly popped up before her again.

" _Fuuuuuu_... What are you doing here?!" Reina tried to hiss quietly. "This isn't because I thought about chakra beasts, is it?"

"I'm not letting you abandon my parents!" Naruto stood defiantly, hands crossed.

"Wow, there is really no worse time to be doing this."

His feet dug into the dirt floor. "I. Don't. Care."

"You-"

"Reina," Shisui scolded. "keep it down, please?"

"Right," Reina nodded, spinning back towards her teammates to face away from the young boy. She needed to make sure they didn't get caught by the enemy. That was far more important than arguing with a hallucination right now. Reina needed to concentrate-

"Do you know what you've done?" Naruto said. "Rin, Obito, Kakashi, my parents... They've all suffered because of you."

Reina moved to shush him. "You're distracting me-"

"You just want to be safe, because you're scared to die again. You're even letting kids decades younger than you die for it, you—"

"Can you just shush—"

"How can you be so cold-hearted? What's wrong with you? How can you just abandon people so easily like that?"

"Naruto, seriously—"

"What's the point of you even being here if you aren't going to  _fix_  things?! Do something, do anythin—"

"SHUT UP, OKAY?!" Reina shouted, head turning so fast she saw a flash of white. "Don't act like you know everything! You're not even real! None of this is real! You're all just characters in a story to me! Why would I risk my life for you people?!  _This isn't my world!_ "

"Reina!" Shisui snapped. Iruka's jaw dropped.

Reina froze as glanced behind her, realizing she had dropped the genjutsu in her anger. That, and she'd alerted the enemy to their location with her shouts. She heard the sound of footsteps approaching.

And for the second time in two months, she found herself surrounded and outnumbered by Kiri shinobi.

 

* * *

 

In the end, Shisui had done most of the fighting. Perhaps Reina and Iruka had helped, but truth be told it was the other boy that held his own the best during the battle.

It should've been humbling, but it was also kind of annoying.

"Sorry," Reina said with a frown. They had just dragged off the last of the fallen shinobi, letting their unconscious bodies float down the river to wherever the rapids would take them. "I guess I kind of lost control there."

She turned to see Shisui staring at her, a very specific type of look on his face, like he was ready to lecture her.

Great.

"You need to tell Shikaku," Shisui said. "or Kushina, or Minato, or even the Hokage- _anyone_ -about this. You need help, Reina. We've all noticed how you keep mumbling to yourself these last few years, and now this; it's ridiculous!"

"Has it been that long?" Reina blinked innocently.

"And what were you saying back there? That you don't think any of this is real?" Shisui continued, the concern etching lines into his young face. "I don't know Reina, maybe that Tomeru stuff had more of an effect than you thought..."

"Shisui!" Iruka interrupted. "She's our teammate, what are you trying to say? That she's crazy?"

"No, of course not. But I just want to make sure things are alright." Shisui argued back. "What if that happens again? Next time she might not get so lucky."

"Look, we have better things to worry about right now," Reina snapped. "like where the hell is our sensei? Who were those shinobi? Why'd they attack us?"

"...She has a point." Iruka turned to Shisui. "We should probably find sensei first, for starters. He'll know what to do about all of..." Iruka waved his arms around in the air. "this."

Shisui's glare was hard. "Fine. But this isn't over."

Reina's shoulders slumped in both relief and despair. Knowing Shisui, it was far from the last time this subject would be brought up. But Iruka was right, they had a more important task at hand.

It was unlike their sensei to abandon them in the middle of a mission like this, as much as he complained about his students. As they split up to search the nearby foliage, she couldn't help but worry in the back of her mind that they might upturn one of the shrubs to find their sensei laying on the ground, bleeding out; or worse, dead.

"What does it matter? They're not real, right?"

Reina didn't even turn to face him this time.

"That's right," she said, stopping in her tracks. "but I'm not sure if Shikaku was supposed to be back in Konoha for the Kyuubi attack, but just in case, I don't want to take the risk. None of you are really real. But what happens to you affects me. And I know I'm real. So."

"That barely makes sense."

"The fact that you even understood that tells me you're nothing like the Naruto I know from series." Reina paused. "I've been meaning to ask, are you some sort of representation of my inner thoughts? My conscience personified or something?"

"Maybe."

"What a cliche."

Naruto disappeared, thankfully, as Reina continued parsing through the forest, before she finally came across a string of kunai and senbon.

"Guys," Reina called as she approached the weaponry, glimpsing a familiar green vest. "I think I found him."

Thankfully, Shikaku looked mostly unharmed, though unconscious. Shisui and Iruka ran over quickly, turning their sensei over onto his side to the sound of his watery coughs.

"Poison?" Iruka asked fearfully.

The teammates exchanged a glance. None of them knew more than the basic first-aid, and they certainly hadn't been expecting to come equipped with a breadth of knowledge on poison antidotes for this mission.

"Look at the kunai," Shisui bent down, pointing at the dark metal, its outer edges coated in a purplish goo. "I think it's a paralyzing poison."

"That checks. He's coughing so he's at least alive. It's a problem if he can't move, though." Reina glanced down at the man before gesturing for Iruka to come over to help hoist their teacher up by the arms onto their shoulders. "Where's a medic-nin when you need one?"

His coughs grew stronger as they dragged Shikaku back to the wagon, Shisui carefully bagging the poisoned kunai behind him. They would be in deep trouble if the effects didn't wear off soon, as it would take days before they could make it back to Konoha and get a sample sent to the labs. It would also really interfere with Reina's plans to never go back at all, either.

"What I want to know," Reina said, "is why anyone would even bother attacking us. Post-war tensions? How would they have even known we were Konoha shinobi though? We haven't even seen anyone this whole damn time."

"Language." Iruka said.

"Unless someone tipped them off that we were coming through so we'd get ambushed?" Reina continued, ignoring him. "But who would want to do that?"

"Plus, the only people that would know we were coming through are in Konoha," Shisui added. "I highly doubt one of our own would betray us like that."

 _Uh, I don't._ Reina thought _. But let's pin that argument for later._

"Leugggh." Shikaku said blankly as they laid him down on a bedsheet spread out on the wagon's floor. Iruka had gone over to comfort the traders as Reina and Shisui were left to tend to their stirring teacher. His eyes shot open for a moment, bloodshot, before blinking them back closed. "Why's it so bright in here?"

"It is not. It is nighttime. We are inside a wagon." Reina quipped.

"Alright, smart mouth. What happened?"

"Paralyzing poison," Shisui informed their teacher. "it looked like they ambushed you, and the last guy came up behind and stuck you right before you got him."

"...Figures. Always wondered what it felt like on the other side."

"I think the fact that you're up and talking right now means you'll probably be fine," Reina said, standing up. "I'll go help Iruka with the traders, you probably won't be able to get any rest with all their crying. Shisui, take care of sensei, catch him up on things."

"Yeah, got it," Shisui mumbled quietly as Reina sauntered away. She didn't exactly want to deal with the traders at all, honestly, but it was best to avoid Shisui until the whole incident with her hallucination shouting match blew over. Besides, Shikaku seemed fine. He was a ghost, after all; this wasn't his time to die.

Reina plopped down next to Iruka, taking a few metal bottles of water from the pile next to him to help distribute to the traders. "What did you mean, everyone's just characters in a story?" Iruka asked quietly.

"What."

"I heard you, back in the forest. I think you said, 'you're all just characters in a story to me?' Who were you even talking to?"

"Uh," Reina shoved a bottle in an eldery man's hands before continuing, "I don't know, I just do that sometimes. It's all nonsense though. Maybe I  _am_  just crazy."

Iruka frowned. "I don't think that's it. But Shisui's right, you know. We've all noticed. Kushina and Minato once asked us about it. Shikaku too."

"What?" Reina's jaw dropped. "You're joking. That's..." She was a little embarrassed that she'd done such a bad job of hiding her affliction. Then again, hiding her propensity to see imaginary people hadn't exactly been her greatest priority; the fact that she was a reincarnation was by far the secret she was holding closest to the vest.

"Nobody wanted to say anything though. All the adults kept telling us it was probably a side effect of overusing your Kekkei Genkai." Iruka paused. "What did Shisui call it? The Tomeru?"

"Uh," Reina said. Iruka wasn't exactly supposed to be privy to that information. "I..."

"And I remember you were mumbling about ghosts a lot back in the Academy too. I didn't know you back then, but I remember because I thought it was weird to hear a little kid repeat that over and over..."

"...Uh."

"Plus, you acted a little... Off, after what happened to sensei Minato's team." Iruka's expression grew hesitant at this, as if he was unsure if he should push forward. A moment passed before he finally decided. "I mean, you seemed sad, but not... Normal sad. Like, sad but also... Scared? Like you were hiding something and you were afraid of us figuring it out?"

Oh, so this was really how the teams had been set up. Shisui, with his staggering IQ and Iruka with a strikingly insightful EQ. And then there was Reina, who in this moment, seemed to be lacking both.

She wanted to praise whatever God this world abdicated to towards the high heavens for the timely interruption that followed.

"Reina," Shikaku shouted from the other side of the wagon, mouth a tight line. He was sitting up more straightly now, with Shisui sitting next to him with the expression of a deer caught in headlights. "we need to talk."

"What?" Reina asked, standing up. As she approached, she noticed her teammate's expression growing more and more anxious.

"Shisui was telling me something interesting about what happened just now."

Reina glared at Shisui, who, true to form as a  _shunshin_  prodigy, disappeared from sight immediately.

_Great._

 

* * *

 

"How could you tell Shikaku?" Reina snapped at Shisui. She'd caught him standing outside the wagon, on 'guard duty'. What a funny name for avoiding conflict. "Now I have to get a Yamanaka mind read when we get back from this mission!"

It wasn't really something to get mad about, considering Reina wasn't planning on going back; but now she  _really_  couldn't. And it was annoying Shisui had taken that choice away from her.

"You're always mumbling to yourself and seeing things that aren't there," Shisui said, voice grim. "And it almost got us in trouble. I'm not letting you jeopardize the mission or yourself because you've been compromised."

"I don't need you babysitting me."

"I'm not, I'm just worried about my team. Not to mention, the mission." Shisui gestured to the wagon behind them. "These people are relying on us to get them from point A to point B. We promised them safe passage through Kiri, and you jeopardized that. I'm sorry, but I can't let that happen again."

It was hard to admit, but he had a point. Reina sighed, running a hand through her hair, her fingers sliding fully through the black locks with no obstacle. She stopped.

Her ribbon was missing.

She spun around in place to face the forest, shocking Shisui back a step.

"I'll be right back," Reina said. "we'll continue this later."

"What? Where are you going?"

"I left something in the forest. It'll only be a minute."

"Wai-"

Reina was gone before she could hear Shisui's protests. She'd had enough of that boy for today.

The forest was the same as how they'd left it, but the mist made it impossible to find her new hair accessory with ease. Reina sighed as she found herself looking through bushes and shrubs for the second time that day.

"Great," Reina mumbled, finally spotting the yellow strip at the bottom of a particularly prickly-looking bush. At least she'd found it, but now she would have to crawl on her hands and knees to get under the shrubbery for it.

Her fingers finally caught the end of the silky fabric after a few minutes of shimmying. She could feel the thorny branches scratching at her back, forcing her to concentrate on making her extradition as slow and deliberate as possible.

Leave it to the boys to not tell her that her hair had come undone during the fight. Then again, it was her hair, and she'd been so caught up she herself didn't notice. Reina continued to fight with the logic of her annoyance when she stood up and found herself face-to-face with the same Kiri shinobi from before.

"Oh... Hi?" Reina tried to say, but the fight was already breaking out.

Reina silently cursed Shisui and his goody-two-shoes let's-show-them-mercy-and-throw-them-down-a-river-instead ideology.

Yeah, like shinobi in the Land of Water wouldn't know how to swim.

There was a senbon in her shin and it hurt like a bitch. There was a kunai coming at her from the left, and a violet cloud of something-was that a smoke bomb? Wasn't it foggy enough? or maybe it was poisonous, but she wasn't about to find out-was coming in hot from her right.

"I hate this," Reina said as she crouched into a roll to avoid both attacks, the throbbing pain in her calf sharpening as she did. "why did I become a shinobi again?"

"You shouldn't have come back, Konoha brat." One of the Kiri shinobi in front of her had strangely blue and white eyes, which she was sure meant he wasn't a character introduced in the series. She would have remembered that.

The strange-eyed man continued to speak. "We have our orders to take you out. We will not rest until our mission is fulfilled."

"Orders?" Reina stopped in place. "Who the hell is asking you to come after us like this?"

Two of the three shinobi shared a glance. The third one was busy throwing another round of senbon at her face.

One caught her in the shoulder but otherwise she remained unscathed. Her shoulder rang with pain however, and she made a mental note to maybe not get stuck again.

Something about senbon was just the worse. They didn't strike nearly as wide a gash as kunai do, but deeper by far. Her entire arm was throbbing as a result, and while she could still wrap her fingers around a kunai, lifting it up above her elbow was near impossible.

"Dude, we're just escorting traders! Is one of them secretly like a princess or something?" That was totally a thing that could happen-probably already did-in the Naruto series.

"There is no need to explain things to someone who is about to die," the strange-eyed man said, gaze level, holding his kunai up to strike...

...Before suddenly he was thrusting it into his teammate's knee.

"What are you doing?!" The teammate screeched as a black blur suddenly appeared besides Reina. She was relieved to see her teammate and his spinning red eyes had found her, despite their recent argument.

 _Shisui must've put one hell of a genjutsu on that guy,_  Reina thought. He was still continuing to attack his other teammate as the third one attempted to pull him away.

"We have to get out of here. Now!" Shisui pulled her by the arm, thankfully not the one with the senbon in it, before  _shunshining_  them out towards the clearing.

"Shit, we can't go any further than this," Reina said. They were where the river had tapered off near the edge of a cliff. It reminded her almost of the Naka River, though much more engulfed in mist.

"I-" Shisui's statement was interrupted as Reina watched him fall to one knee. She gasped, realizing the kunai had hit him in the back, purple liquid oozing out of the crevice carved into his flesh.

Paralyzing poision.

"So it was you guys!" Reina watched as the two other enemy shinobi emerged from the forest. They were covered in blood and missing strange-eyes; clearly they had decided to kill off their wayward teammate instead of allowing the genjutsu to be waited out.

Okay, these were not people to mess with.

"It's time to end this," the Kiri shinobi on the left said. He had blunt black hair that reminded her a little bit of Gai's peeking out from behind his forehead protector. Reina did not want to die at the hands of someone who had the same taste as Gai, so she immediately moved to negotiate.

"Wait!" Reina said. "Don't kill us. He's a Uchiha, see?" She pointed to the symbol on the back of his shirt.

"Obviously. We'd have to be blind not to have seen that."

Okay, so Shisui had definitely lost that bet. "Right, so if you return him to the clan unscathed-...or at least, not any more scathed than he already is, they'll be able to pay you a lot for it. They're pretty rich, you know. Maybe even more than your employer."

The Gai-haired shinobi gave her a blank look. "It's very unlikely."

"What, you have someone paying you more than what the  _entire Uchiha clan_  could? Oh c'mon, you guys can't be getting  _that_  much. Mercenary jobs might pay more by hour, but if you factor in healthcare and the postwar cost of living adjustment-"

Reina was lucky her hearing was pretty good, because that was the only warning she'd had of the kunai whizzing towards her face through the veil of mist. It barely knicked her in the ear before it went flying out into space.

"Ow," Reina said, falling to the floor, hand over ear. "rude."

"Reina!" Shisui shouted. The other shinobi had slammed the Uchiha's face into the dirt, probably in an attempt to avoid eye contact with his Sharingan. Or just as revenge for making them kill their other teammate. It was a coin toss. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah no worries, it was just a knick-hey, no, whoa there, no need to bring out the smoke bombs-"

"This one isn't a smoke bomb," the Gai-haired shinobi said coolly. "these are explosive tags."

"What." Looking closer, Reina could see he had wrapped up several dozen explosive tags into a large ball the size of his fist. The gleam of chakra glowed on the surface of the characters, indicating it was ready to be activated. "Wow, that is a lot of explosive-"

She didn't even get to finish the sentence before the man sucker-punched her right in the stomach, pushing the tags into her gut, propelling her entirely off the cliff into the rapids below.

The last thing she remembered hearing was Shisui's screaming, and then the explosion.

 

* * *

 

"Get up."

The words were impossible to hear over the roar of rushing water.

" _Get up._ "

Everything was on fire, even as the liquid around her seeped into her clothes, soaking her to the bone.

"Get UP!"

This one, Reina heard. Her eyes shot open before the sting of cold water forced them closed again, pulling her mind into a state of clarity.

"... _Ow,_ " was all Reina could say when she managed to pull herself over the edge of the riverbed into a small cavern nearby. She examined her hands, which had scraped the long rocks on the riverbed as she'd fought to grasp them against the rapids. Now her fingers were bloody, her nails splitting at their tops, which was fun. Her stomach was covered in burns from the explosion and bleeding profusely, which was also fun.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked. As much as he had been annoying Reina lately, he  _had_  just saved her life. She couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude.

"Yeah. Thanks." She paused, before continuing, "...You wouldn't happen to know where we are, would you?"

"I wouldn't know if you don't know."

"Right, because you're a figment of my imagination."

"Right."

"Cool. That sucks."

She luckily still had her medical supplies on her, which consisted of a container of salve and a now-drenched roll of gauze. Still, it was better than nothing. She wrapped the bandages around her middle, wincing as the cold fabric pulled at her tender skin. Reina was no medic-nin, and hoped there were no repercussions to wet bandaging. She could try starting a fire with a jutsu, but that would require her having chakra left. Which she didn't.

She could've also just tried starting a fire the old-fashioned way, but that would require her to have dry twigs and sticks to rub together. Which she didn't.

So wet bandages it was.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Naruto said a few moments later, after Reina had exited a cave to try and discern their location.

Reina shrugged, which stung her injured shoulder. The senbon had come loose in the fall, but the wound was still fresh and stingy.

"This is probably the longest river I've ever seen. I need to figure out where it took us."

Naruto stared out ahead of them, before raising a hand to point. "Well, is any of this familiar?"

Reina wanted to bury her head in her hands as they walked through the small town Naruto had been indicating. Town was being generous, however; it was more a spattering of disheveled shack housing and sparse food stands, though most of them were barely standing at all. Hungry-looking people milled about, ranging from the tragic age of young children to elderly adults. It was by far the crappiest place Reina had ever seen, and it was hard to tell if had been ransacked by the recent war, or if it was just the result of extreme poverty in general.

Either way, this meant they were far deeper in Kirigakure than Reina would have liked.

"You must've gone pretty far down the river," Naruto said. "didn't Shikaku say it would be a while before you guys reached this part of the village?"

"At this rate we'll never make it back to them," Reina muttered, gesturing to her stomach. "especially with injuries like this." Her walk was starting to grow into a pained limp, which wasn't a great sign. She was about to suggest they turn back and try to figure out a way to contact the rest of her team when it hit her.

" _Wait a minute._  Isn't this my chance?"

"...What do you mean?"

"Wait no. This is perfect. I was  _meaning to leave_  anyways!" Reina realized. "They probably just think I died or something. I'm home free!"

Naruto's eyes went wide, his irises tiny dots in a sea of white. "You would  _do that_  to them?"

"Of course. That was the plan all along, I just didn't think I would do it so early in the mission but adapt or die righ-"

" _No!_ " Naruto crossed his arms. "It's one thing to abandon people, but now you're going to convince everyone who cares about you that you were killed on this mission? You're horrible, really, really horrible-"

"Looook, technically, if it weren't for you I would be dead, so if you wanted it to be true you should've just let me die."

Naruto's jaw dropped.

"...Okay, I admit, that's some sticky logic."

He shook his head so hard Reina thought it might come flying off towards her. "They'll probably coming to look for you anyways. You think they won't be able to find a girl with your description walking around and mumbling to herself?"

Reina glanced at the town around her. True, there were some haggard-faced townspeople staring curiously at her from behind wooden beams and windowsills.

"I look pretty local," Reina said, gesturing to her face. "dark hair, pale skin? Doesn't that just scream Kirigakure to you? There must be hundreds of people here that would match my description. And as for the talking to myself," Reina's voice dropped to a whisper, "well we just gotta be more subtle about that, don't we?"

"They're your friends. Your comrades." Naruto paused. "My parents too, they'll be devastated."

"Who cares?"

" _What_?"

"I said, who cares? They're all just ghosts to me." Reina's voice grew even quieter. "Well, except Iruka. He lives. Somehow. The rest of them die anyways, though."

Naruto's chest puffed. "Well, I'm not a ghost. At least, I won't be. One day I'll be real, and you'll come across me. And you'll look me in the eyes and remember what you did."

"...Okay, that was kind of dark-"

There was a sudden bright light, forcing Reina to look away. She looked back a moment later, blinking white spots out of her vision, but the hallucination Naruto was already gone.

Reina stared at the spot where he'd been, confused.

"Um, hello? What just happened?"

It'd be a while later before she finally realized he wasn't coming back.

 

* * *

 

"Great job Reina, " she muttered as she skulked along the riverside, kicking rocks into the rushing water as she thought back on her short time so far in this universe. "Thanks to you, Obito's gone, Rin's dead, your hallucination ditched you, and now you're just left here with all your decisions and choices."

Had she really thought this through?

She had nothing here. No means of making money, no friends, no family.

_Well. When there's nothing under your feet, the only way to go is up._

While she couldn't return to Konoha, Reina knew she couldn't survive alone out here in Kiri by herself either. All things considered, she was still six (almost seven). Sure, maybe she was considered a prodigy like Kakashi and Shisui, but they had actually earned that title; hers came from having an extra lifetime of existence, unbeknownst to others. None of that extra experience had involved being homeless or lost in the foggy woods of a foreign, deadly land.

She only had one choice left, then.

Reina stopped her pacing with a sigh, pressing her hands together in a familiar seal form. "I hope Kurenai knew what she was doing."

A few months later, Reina was walking down a fenced-off path with groceries in hand. She'd been living in a small shack off the side of the river near some abandoned district, and spent her days earning cash by selling the highest quality seals this place had ever seen. Thank you, Kushina.

Still, though the location wasn't ideal, at least the rent was cheap (mostly because it was an abandoned home she'd been squatting in). The only downside really was the hour long walk home from the nearest market; but unlike the rest of her life, it was a mostly peaceful existence, all things considered.

Or at least, it  _was_  a peaceful existence until right now in this moment when she found herself propelled against a wooden fence, sword to neck.

"Ugh, finally," Reina said. "what took you so long?"

" _You._ " The man's face was heavily bandaged, though Reina knew that was due in no part to any injury. "Give me one good reason not to kill you where you stand, imposter." Zabuza's giant silver weapon moved a fraction of an inch closer to her neck.

"Hi," Reina said, fighting the urge to raise her hand up and shield her throat. "Nice to meet you too."

Zabuza's eyes only narrowed in response.

Reina knew if Zabuza really wanted to kill her, he would've already. The fact that he had placed the sword near her throat, instead of through it, gave her that assumption.

A few small trickles of blood dripped down her collarbone before she realized that might have been the wrong assumption to make.

"Oh okay okay, I'll explain!" Reina held her hands up in deference against the scratchy wood of the fence behind her.

She'd come up with the plan on a whim, mostly because, frankly, she didn't know who else to turn to. Kiri was a lawless place, and she could only stay in her unguarded shack for so long. From what she'd gathered, everyone here had heard of Zabuza's fantastical reputation; the famed boy that had killed a class of students at an Academy he didn't even attend, who now roamed the lands with his giant sword and mean, mostly covered mug. With his rep, traveling with him, assuming he didn't kill her first, was the safest she could get in Kiri. Sadly.

"Okay," Reina said again, "I'm sure you're probably wondering you're here—"

"I know why I'm here," Zabuza growled. "I heard a rumor about some kid going around dressed up like me and picking fights—"

"Yup," Reina nodded. "well, I didn't dress up as you, so to speak, but I did use a genjutsu. The other people I was fighting were illusions too. Sorry to damage your reputation, I just really wanted to meet you."

"And the losing miserably?" Zabuza asked dryly. "Was that really necessary?"

"...I don't know, I thought if I won them, actual enemies would come up and try to challenge me for fun or something." Reina said. "Sorry if that embarrassed you. But imagine how _I_  felt."

"I'm not feeling any more inclined to let you live right now." Okay yeah, her neck was definitely bleeding. She had maybe a millimeter left before he hit a major artery.

"I... I can help you!" Reina said, voice squeaky. "You're trying to start a rebellion, right?"

Zabuza's eyebrows shot down. "Who told you that?"

"It doesn't matter! What matters is I can help you!" Reina gestured to her pouch. "I write seals! Hella seals!"

"What would I want with those?"

"I sell them for a lot and you can put the money towards the rebellion. They sell for a ton, I swear!"

The sword, to her immense relief, lowered in the slightest from her throat. "And what's in it for you?"

"Um, I'll give you all the scrolls you need... in exchange... for body guarding?" Reina said.

The sword was back at her neck again. This was now getting old.

"I'm not guarding a brat like you for money."

"No, hear me out," Reina said. "I'm a lost little kid without any parents out here, just trying to survive. I don't know if you've noticed, but this place is kind of insane for someone my age to be living in."

A long, dark moment passed, and Reina was glad that her life didn't flash before her eyes, because it'd probably just make her feel worse.

"...You sure look like you're from Kiri." Zabuza finally said. "You lose your parents in the war?"

She was technically an orphan in this world, so this was only a half lie, right? "...Yes."

Zabuza's eyes became unreadable for a second, or perhaps that was just how they looked when the uncontainable rage subsided.

His sword dropped to his side as Reina immediately fell to the floor, letting out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

Zabuza took a step forward and instinctively, Reina scrambled to her feet before immediately putting a foot of distance between herself and the crazed swordsman.

"Doesn't seem to take much before you turn and run," Zabuza remarked before crossing his arms.

Reina coughed, her neck aching. "It's called survival instinct.  _You should try it sometime_."

The grin in his voice was almost shark-like. "Trust me, I have plenty."

 

* * *

 

After months of living in Kiri, she had finally came across a familiar face. Strange, how now she was seeking them out.

Still, Reina knew she should still stick to her goal of not changing the original timeline, so she only planned to travel with Zabuza for a maximum of a few more months; a year at most. There was no reason to hang out with the madman any longer than that.

 

* * *

 

_(7 years later)_

"Come over here or I kill the girl!" Ao growled.

Zabuza didn't even blink.

"Go ahead."

Reina sighed. "Yeah..."

Ao pulled the kunai closer to Reina's neck. "I mean it!"

"...That is not a very enticing threat for him." Haku said.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're nearing the end of Arc 1 (in this story) and getting closer to the timeline of the main series! I am so excited to finally write Reina at an age that isn't five/six/seven
> 
> A lot of this chapter was actually written up a while back, so I decided to just update early once it was done. This Kiri arc will be pretty short though, so you won't have to wait long if you're looking forward to the main series Konoha stuff!


	12. For Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Boy is this the worst trip ever.

 

Reina didn't remember Ao from the series very well. He'd been such a minor character, after all, and there'd been  _so many_  of those.

But at the moment, some additional information about the eyepatched hunter-nin would have been nice.

"Zabuza, could you—" Reina called out.

"No."

"Oh, come on."

It'd been seven years since she'd made that terrible decision to start traveling with the infamous swordsman, hoping that he'd provide her protection in exchange for the money she made off storage scrolls.

Instead, he'd probably put her life in danger at least three times a day since then.

Including right now.

"By the order of the Village Hidden in the Mist, I have been ordered to take you in Zabuza, Demon of the Mist, member of the Seven Swordsmen—"

"Why're you saying all his titles? We know who he is."

Ao ignored her, kunai still held tightly against her neck in his grasp. Unlike Zabuza, however, Reina was pretty confident Ao was just bluffing.

"—and have you finally pay for your crimes!"

Reina had known Zabuza had started being consider a missing-nin a while back, but she'd always figured no one  _competent_  would actually go after him. From the way the skin was wrinkling around his eyepatch, however, it was clear Ao might not be such an easy hinderance to take down.

"Oh yeah, you're that guy with the stolen Byakugan..." Reina realized, glancing at Haku. "You know. Maybe we should try to talking things out with him instead."

Haku raised a few senbon, stance prepped to throw. "What do you think, Zabuza?"

"Don't question me." Zabuza growled. Haku immediately lowered his weapons before ducking his head. "If this idiot thinks he can get to me by taking a hostage, he's got another thing coming."

Haku nodded, before holding up a hand seal and summoning a thick hurricane of mist.

"Wai—" Ao ran over, shielding his eyes from the onslaught of precipitation with the sleeve of his arm, but it was already too late.

The two were gone.

He then turned back to Reina, who shrugged.

"...They really abandoned you." Ao said as he walked back, paper earrings swinging close enough that Reina could almost make out the seals written on them.

"Yeah. They do that sometimes." Reina sighed. "Alright, well, where do you usually take your hostages?"

Ao stared for a second before re-pouching his weapons. "I no longer have any use for you. You are free to go."

"What? That's really nice of you actually, I—" Reina paused. "Oh wait, you're going to do that thing where you pretend to let me go but you're really going to trail me and see if I lead you back to Zabuza, aren't you?"

"..."

"Dude, they're not coming back for me. This is  _Zabuza_  we're talking about."

"You do not know that for sure."

"I really do," Reina raised her arm to wave goodbye. "but if you want to waste your time following me around, be my guest."

Suddenly, Ao was grabbing her wrist. Reina bit the inside of her cheek as she followed his eye line; they'd been skulking near the mountainsides of Kiri, at the northeastern edge of the nation, when they'd run into Ao. Somehow during that initial skirmish she must have lost a glove, as the swirl Kushina had drawn for her was now bare to the world. It was an unfortunate oversight.

Very unfortunate indeed.

"That seal," Ao exclaimed. "isn't the style Konoha's?"

"That's ridiculous. Konoha is a hundred miles away. Why would I go there just to get a seal done?"

Ao's face creased. "There is no other place that draws them like that. And if you have a seal from Konoha, that must mean... Are you a missing-nin as well?! Or—"

"Okay, you've asked enough questions now." Reina said, before slamming her fist into a pressure point at the back of Ao's neck. "Night night."

She watched as the man fell to his knees, his face crashing down hard onto the ground. Oops. At least there was some nice, wet grass to break his fall.

"Have you dealt with the hunter-nin?" Haku asked, emerging from the woods behind her. Reina turned with a glare.

"I thought we agreed  _you'd_  play the hostage this time, not me."

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize his skill level would be so high. I had to adjust our plans in the moment... I apologize for the misdirection."

Reina sighed. It was hard to stay mad at the younger boy, despite how much his loyalty to Zabuza over her irked her. His voice was still high-pitched, contrasting hilariously with the formality of his tone, and stood as a constant reminder of the fact he was but just a child.

"If you brats are done over here, let's get a move on!" Zabuza shouted, coming up behind Haku and readjusting the sword on his back. "We're burning daylight!"

Reina didn't even bother glaring at Zabuza. Things like that bounced off him like nothing. Still, Haku stepped over to walk in line with her, sensing her agitation.

He tilted his head. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing," Reina muttered. "I just... He mentioned someplace I hadn't thought about in a while, is all." She pulled her sleeve down, trying to cover her seal.

It had struck Reina at first, how incredibly different some characters in this universe looked up close, compared to what she'd known from the series. For example, Kushina had sported tiny, barely imperceptable freckles on her nose. Shikaku's scars were far deeper and aged than the show could have ever detailed.

But Haku, he was exactly as he'd been depicted in the show. Of course, as a child, he was more cute than beautiful right now. Still eerily feminine, though.

"Here," Haku said, pulling a spare hakama tie from his pouch, "try this." Reina took it with a thankful nod, wrapping it like a bandage around her wrist. It was times like this she truly appreciated the fact that Haku had joined their little gang, as Zabuza certainly wasn't any comfort in times of need. Despite the fact she was technically only 14 years old, the older madman had treated her like anything but a child.

"You need training." Zabuza had said a few days after they'd first made each other's acquaintance, "It makes my job easier if you can defend yourself at least somewhat properly."

"I'm actually pretty well-trained, if I do say so myself," Reina had replied, pulling out and then flicking her kunai at a nearby tree as an example. It struck the wood briskly, shards of bark flying out as the metal scratched deep into its rings.

Zabuza had only scoffed at the off-center hit. "Please. You won't last five more minutes in Kiri at this rate."

So began the weeks of hell. Weapons training until her fingers bled, running laps until her shins felt like they would split in half, and even performing the odd tasks of pulling boulders up hillsides by a string. He claimed that last one was for strength training. Reina considered he ordered it because it was a good laugh. Still, she counted herself lucky that most of the evidence of this training had healed into calluses instead of scars.

It'd been grueling, but Reina could now run faster, jump higher, and take out enemies quicker than ever. Zabuza had been right; though his tactics were brutal, they were effective.

Despite that, after Haku had joined, Reina'd dared to hope Zabuza would ease up on the treacherous regime, considering Haku was a significantly younger child. Instead, Haku only ended up obediently following and exceeding their current training schedule. Thanks to that, Zabuza continued the training, even upping the ante to match Haku's evident prowess.

It was hard to hate the boy though, with his shy compassion. Even when she found herself waking up at 3am for their sporadic training sessions.

Still, she'd been relieved when Zabuza picked Haku up off the side of that bridge a few years back. It had sucked traveling with the swordsman alone, as his range of conversation topics went from coup strategies to assassination planning, rather than any other actual words; plus it meant she wasn't derailing any canon by traveling with them. At least not yet.

"You brats need to speed it up. I don't have all day," Zabuza said, voice hard. "We need to reach this mountain pass before dark."

"I literally can not go any faster." Reina deadpanned. It was true; she and Haku had been practically sprinting to keep up with his monstrous pace.

Zabuza only huffed in reply as he continued to trudge up the beginning of the mountain's slope.

"Why are we even climbing this stupid mountain anyways?" Reina asked, shuffling her pack on her shoulders. Zabuza had sprung this trip on them, and she wasn't stoked to climb what was well-known as the hardest mountains to scale in all the shinobi nations. Something about how the mist collected on the rock's smooth surfaces made ascension nearly impossible.

Nothing about that word ever stopped Zabuza, though.

Two days later, they had barely made it halfway up the shortest slope of the mountain when it'd begun to rain. Reina groaned as they ducked into a nearby cavern, packs and clothes all soaking wet.

"Okay seriously," Reina said, "you owe us an explanation. Why are we on the world's worst adventure? This is even lamer than the time you brought up to that gaseous swamp. I  _still_  can't get the smell out of my hair."

There was a long, disrespectful silence before Zabuza finally took out his map and replied, "We're trying to reach that pass." he pointed to a divot between two of the tallest mountains in the range on the map. For a mountain pass, it wasn't very low, and in fact, was at a point twice as high as their current location. "they say there's a town up there, abandoned for years, but filled with priceless documents and artifacts."

Reina should've known. Zabuza was surprisingly frugal, meticulously planning out the finances behind his attempt to overthrow Yagura. They'd traversed across the lands in search of ways to procure funds quickly, be it in searching for precious metals in crumblings mines, or traipsing flooded fishing villages to rescue precious memorabilia for a fee. His dedication would have been almost admirable to Reina, had she not witnessed firsthand the people he'd stepped on to get here. Literally. He'd once trampled a man's face for skimping on the reward for saving his family's photographs from the area's most recent tsunami.

"Priceless documents? Like bank notes?"

"And more."

"But isn't that just a rumor?" Reina persisted. "Do you even have any proof this stuff is still there? Wouldn't someone have gotten to it first by now?"

"It's still there. Nobody's ever gone and made it back alive."

This was news to her. She'd heard a lot about the difficulties climbing this horrid mountain, but nothing like  _that_.

"...Are you serious?"

"You didn't know?" Haku asked innocently. "Zabuza mentioned it a while back."

" _When did he say that?_ "

"You need to clean out your ears," Zabuza grumbled. "Now hurry up. Daylight's burning."

"You guys are crazy." Reina gestured to the cave's entrance. "It's raining cats and dogs out there!"

"I don't see any creatures?" Haku said.

"...I meant, it's not appropriate mountain-climbing weather."

"Did your mouth get bigger as you got older?" Zabuza frowned, already making his way back to the mouth of the cave. "Or were you always this chatty?"

She followed, steps echoing loudly as they splashed on the wet cave floor. "Look, how much money can this dinky little town really have had?" Maybe she needed to approach this from a different angle. "Tell you what guys, how about we head back and I'll make us some storage scrolls instead; I won't even charge you for ink this time."

Zabuza quirked a brow. "Don't think I haven't noticed those scrolls aren't selling as well nowadays."

"...Hm, I don't know what you're talking about..."

"You better stop whining before you outlive your usefulness." Zabuza's sword gleamed on his back as he walked away, easily stalking up the slippery rocks off the mountainside. "Because you're getting pretty close to that point."

 

* * *

 

It took almost three full days to get to the pass.

"Water." Haku said, handing Reina his canteen. He'd taken to piggybacking on Zabuza's back for the latter part of the trip, the young boy's chakra reserves having depleted halfway through. Despite his innate talent and intellect, he could still only get so far when asked to scale a mountain. Reina shuddered at what he'd be capable of once his stamina caught up with the rest of his abilities. Not that she didn't already know. "Don't forget to keep hydrated."

"Thanks," Reina said, taking it gratefully. The last couple dozen hours had been quite easily the worst of her life. There wasn't a hiking boot in existence that could've made it possible to get proper footing on those wet, sloping rocks. She and Zabuza had started using chakra to help ease the climb, but unfortunately despite Zabuza's training, with her very average-sized chakra reserves she could only keep it up for the first few days of their trek.

Reina had been roughing it old-school since then.

"You look tired," Haku observed, before his voice dropped to a whisper. It was doubtful Zabuza couldn't still hear, but Haku must not have realized. "I'll ask him if we can take a break soon."

Reina chuckled wryly. "...He's not going to let us do that."

Haku smiled. "He's more lenient than you'd think."

The boy's blind devotion towards Zabuza might have concerned Reina if she hadn't known from the original series it was at least somewhat reciprocated in the depths of whatever hole Zabuza buried his feelings in. "Well, you can try. Thanks."

Reina idly fingered the yellow ribbon she kept in her pouch as they walked on. She couldn't help but reminisce sometimes, on how kindness had come to her so easily and in spades back in Konoha. Now she relied on a 9-year old boy to get any sort of warm reception in her day.

"We're almost there," Zabuza announced, as they stepped into the beginning of the pass. "the map said we just need to go a few more—"

_Zzzzng._

Haku screeched as Zabuza fell to one knee, a thick arrow lodged into his left thigh.

 _After this,_  Reina decided as the world around her descended into chaos,  _I am never climbing another stupid fucking mountain again._

 

* * *

 

There had been one weekend, back when she was alive, that Rin had taken it upon herself to teach Reina how to identify medicinal herbs. Reina thanked her lucky stars the lesson had stuck.

Kiri had one very useful plant in particular; known for its sharp-edged leaves, they were best suited for treating open wounds and infections. Reina'd managed to gather a large bundle of them, enough to fill two packs full.

She wasn't quite sure there were enough herbs in the world to treat the giant gash on Zabuza's chest, however. Even tending to the arrow lodged in his leg was somewhat beyond her medical expertise.

Haku's face was streaked with tears as he pressed a now red-soaked cloth into Zabuza's chest wound, applying pressure just as Reina had directed. He'd smartly slid off Zabuza's back at the first arrow, somehow managing to avoid being struck by any of the other traps the larger man had set off in the meantime.

The first booby trap had been unfortunate; it was a chance of luck that Zabuza, in all his seasoned swordsman glory, had been bested by such a surprise attack. The trek up had tired him more than he'd like to admit. Had he mentioned it, Reina or Haku could've kept an eye out for him and scouted for traps in his stead; though  _he'd_  been the one to teach that skill to Reina and Haku in the first place. Reina often forgot that Zabuza had just barely emerged from adolescence himself; at 20, he was even more of a hotheaded mess than he'd been depicted as in the original series. And that was saying something.

"Just go!" Zabuza said, only further proving her point. As he spoke, spittles of blood exited his mouth, splattering the bandages Reina'd had pulled around his neck to ease his breathing.

After the initial arrow, it'd only gotten worse from there. That trap had only been the first of many, as Zabuza's angered thrashing had activated several dozen other seals hidden in the ground as well. The axe that had shot out from an opening in the floor of the pass, however, was what had laid the swordsman out on the floor like this, near the edge of death.

Reina was torn. She knew it was probably more coincidence that Zabuza had taken the brunt of the damage while she and Haku had remained unscathed, but had they been the ones to misstep onto the trap seals, it could've easily been her or the young Haku that was bleeding out on the ground like this.

Actually, scratch that. Only a monster like Zabuza could have survived this at all.

Still, she wrestled with the instinct to leave Zabuza there to fend for himself, and lead herself and Haku back and away from the deadly traps. Who knew how many more were left; there might even be shinobi coming now to attack them, having realized their traps were activated. They'd be goners in that situation, depending on the numbers; Reina and Haku had used up much of their chakra reserves just to scale the side of the mountain. Even Zabuza himself was telling them to ditch him...

But something about the large man ordering her on what to do, yet again, only solidified her resolve.

"No." she said firmly. "You don't die here. Not today." Literally. He would die later, indirectly at the hands of teenagers. Kind of.

Actually, now that she thought about it, perhaps he'd prefer to die here.

"Please," Haku cried, still putting pressure on the wound. "help him!"

"Yeah yeah," Reina muttered, smashing the herbs into a salve on a piece of cloth, "I was going to anyways."

"There's more traps," Zabuza's voice grew hoarse. "you two just get out of here. There's no point in going any further."

"Uh, after days of trekking this stupid excuse for an overgrown rock, you think we're going to stop here?" Reina scoffed. "C'mon, you're the one who wrote the book on arrogant stubborness. Let's just get this treated and then you can shake it off and stop whining."

Zabuza's mouth twitched, a sharpened set of teeth peeking through bloodstained lips. "You've gotten bolder, kid."

"I'll say," Reina shrugged, picking up the wet mass of herby sludge before some onto Zabuza's chest. "now, you going to let us stitch you up or not?"

A few hours later, after she'd finished patching Zabuza up, Reina decided to go on ahead and scout the pass for more traps.

"I'm pretty good with seals. It'll be fine." Reina said, though she wasn't actually quite sure of this plan herself.

"Are you sure?" Haku asked again worriedly. The pair had set up camp at the entrance of the pass, after restructuring one of their tents around Zabuza so he wouldn't have to move while he attempted to sleep off the injury. They'd managed to stave off infection with the herbs by the looks of it, and Reina had attempted a slightly lackluster stitching of the wound. Only time could tell how he'd fare from here on out. For now, though, getting him to rest was the priority, hence why Reina was making Haku stay behind to watch over the angry man as well as reapply the herb salve every few hours.

"Yeah," Reina shook her head, "man, whatever they've got stashed up here better be worth it. Seriously, booby traps?"

It had already taken her twenty minutes to remove all the seals just from the area immediately surrounding them; it had been a laborious procedure that required surgical precision and a sharp eye, both of which were skills Reina had gained during her time traveling with Zabuza, thankfully, though mostly out of necessity. Still, she was relieved that she could see the end of her long task, as the trap seals seemed to grow sparser and sparser as she made her way to the other side of the pass.

The seals were strange, however. Kiri-esque, sure, definitely nothing like she's seen in Konoha. Plus there was the fact they looked heavily outdated; it was one of the reasons it'd been hard to detect them in the first place. Nobody used such laboriously written, old-fashioned seals like this anymore.

Yet for some reason, the writing looked familiar, if only in the slightest. She frowned to herself as she removed the last seal she'd detected, wondering if it was something she'd remembered from the original series. Reina hadn't paid that much attention to the look of the seals when she'd first seen the show, however, and it was hard to believe any fleeting memory of them had stuck in her subconscious all these years.

"Weird," she said aloud, eyes widening as her thumb accidentally slipped onto the slip of paper, activating its seal.

Great. So much for surgical precision.

She raised her hand off immediately, grabbing a kunai from her pouch in hopes she might deflect whatever came flying in time.

Nothing happened.

 _...Even weirder_ , Reina thought to herself, glancing back down at the seal. The ink shone with chakra, but unlike most seals that had just completed its activation, the blue glow didn't dissipate. Instead, it looked like it was... Spreading?

Reina frowned as the chakra leaked from the seal onto the rest of the floor, before branching off around a wall of rock to her right. Her jaw dropped as a set of mechanical sounds screeched its loud symphony of pulleys and levers, before a large stone moved to reveal an entrance to her front.

"That's hilarious," Reina muttered, "it's like I'm in some sort of action movie." She stared at the open door, wondering to herself if she should dare to dream that what was behind it wasn't nefarious or evil. Let alone heavily booby trapped.

 _Well, guess we'll find out,_  Reina thought to herself, shrugging. This place had probably gone for years untouched. It's not likely there'd be anything worth noting; whoever had set these old traps must be long gone by now. She'd run in, check the hidden room, find nothing and then go back to report to Zabuza that the trip up and injuries had been for nothing. Maybe they could get back down without any incident and be on their merry way.

As she walked in, she was overwhelmed by two things; the sound of buzzing, and the  _stench_.

"Ugh!" Reina gagged, clasping a hand over her mouth. She wish she'd remembered to bring her gloves. Anything, really, that she could breathe through and not take in the smell of the cavern she'd just entered. All she had was Haku's hakama band that she'd tied around her wrist, but she'd feel bad putting that to her mouth.

Hoping not to stay any longer than she had to, Reina quickly started up a small jutsu to counteract the darkness, a ball of light hovering over her hand as she made her way through the dank-smelling opening.

What she saw when she entered had her almost falling to her knees.

Dust coated the walls. Flies buzzed everywhere, their iridescent wings catching the light of her jutsu. The air inside was even heavier with the smell of death. But the most jarring aspect of this scene was the piles of dirtied bones and splatters of dried blood littering the floor.

Not only bones, but skeletons. Dozens of them lined the ground of the cavern, and those were just the ones she could see in her immediate vicinity. Whomever had met their end here had left their decaying flesh and scents trapped in this enclosed space for years.

 _Oh god,_  Reina though to herself, before the overwhelming smell finally overpowered her. She retched in a corner, wondering why she hadn't just used that mist-dispersing jutsu she'd been taught to circulate the smell in the air out.

A few moments later, once she'd gathered her bearings, she did just that. It required a series of hand seals, uncomplicated but long, though she'd once witnessed Haku attempting, and almost succeeding, at activating the jutsu with just one-handed seals. Reina herself, however, still required two, much to her own disappointment. Catching up to the young boy's talents would be a task for another day, however.

After she was done, the smell had grown much more bearable, though traces of it remained as Reina reluctantly made her way through the rest of the cavern.

Traipsing through piles of bone and death wasn't her favorite activity, but despite her initial shock, she was mostly able to ignore the gruesome environment as she briskly paced her way about. Technically, she'd both seen and done worse things, traveling with Zabuza. "No sign of anything worthwhile," Reina sighed, "Zabuza's intel must be wrong..."

It was times like this she almost missed having hallucination-Naruto following her around. He'd been annoying, sure, but at least he'd be someone to talk to during this. A distraction would have been very welcome right now. She kicked aside a skull as she skulked through the rest of the way, wondering how long the path of bones went. It sure was taking a while to get to the end of this cave.

A spattering of light caught her attention on the far wall to her right, a few feet ahead of where she stood. Squinting, she followed the light to its source, only to see a small opening in a wall of rock at the cavern's end.

Finally, at least there was something going right. The literal light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak.

She pulled at the rocks immediately, removing the smaller pieces with her fingers, then placing her legs on the side of the walls to leverage a push to remove the larger rocks. She blinked once she saw what the hole she'd made revealed.

A town.

There really was a town? Way up here, hidden in the mountain pass?

 _How the hell..._  Reina wondered, as she climbed through the small hole into the open air.

The view wasn't anything to write home about. The town stood at the flattest point in the pass, and despite it being afternoon still, the sun had been mostly blocked out thanks to the two mountains at its sides. Though tiny and abandoned, there were sure signs of evidence that this place had once held a sizable population, judging by the rows of buildings lining the dusty streets. Dilapidation and age now ailed all these buildings, however. Most of them could barely be considered more than a large pile of wooden planks at this point, nails having rusted away altogether, allowing the structures to collapse unto themselves.

She approached one pile of rotting wood in particular, at the entrance to what she assumed was the path into town. It look to be a sign but the writing was long-gone, washed off by years of precipitation, much to Reina's disappointment. She wondered if she could recognize the name of this place from the series, if only she could find it out.

"Who in the world could even live up here...?" Reina was amazed as she continued to survey the area. Even in its heyday, this place must have been at least lightly depressing. Sun barely hit the ground, the houses had been tiny and badly-architected, and in the middle of the town square stood a single, unhygenic-looking well. As she explored, it was revealed to her these haphazard buildings were the remnants of shops, food stalls... Even a library.

Sure, a room full of books was probably the first place she should go if she was looking for answers.

Though holes gapes through the beams in the ceiling and dust lined every inch of surface, the library had remained somewhat more intact than the rest of the buildings. At the very least, the books had somehow survived the years of decay, if barely.

"Gross," Reina said, flapping aside a cobweb as she went to the last row of shelves. An chair and desk were placed near the back, though it was unclear if that was meant for readers or employees of the library. Either way though, it was empty now.

It was strange, she'd seen no signs of life or death here, unlike the cave.

She took a random book off the shelf and started flipping. The mostly-working ceiling had kept their pages dry, thankfully, but now she found herself facing a new problem.

Everything, and she meant everything, was written in some kind of illegible code. Sure, she'd come across foreign languages in her time in this world, but not entire libraries filled with them. But that was case as she went through all the books in that shelf, then the one next, and the ones in the row over.

Nothing. She could read nothing.

Groaning, she decided to focus on the pictures instead, grabbing for the books that leaned more towards visuals than the written word. She'd barely pried the first one open, however, when she heard the sound of a light footstep from behind her.

Reina spun around, kunai already lifted, when a familiar figure emerged into view.

Or two, she should say.

"Oh, thank god," Reina's shoulders drooped as Haku approached, Zabuza's arm draped over his tiny shoulders. Reina placed her hands on her hips before glancing over the older man.

"What... You're supposed to be on bedrest! What are you doing here?"

Zabuza only grunted in response, other hand grasping his bandaged chest.

"Sorry to surprise you, but he wanted to make sure you were okay," Haku said seriously.

Reina scoffed. "Okay, but what's the real reason?"

"...He really wanted to see if the documents were here."

"Yeah, figures. Your hand twitches when you lie, by the way."

"...I see. Thank you." Haku set Zabuza down on the chair in the back before padding over to Reina.

"What is that?" Haku asked, before glancing around, "...And what is this place?"

"I think this is that old town Zabuza was talking about," Reina said, "and we're in the town library. Not getting much out of these books, though. They're written in some kind of code."

Haku nodded. "I see." He pointed to an image in the book Reina had open. "Are images like that, however, going to be much help? I don't think I've ever seen a seal quite like that."

Reina frowned, staring down at the seal. Haku was right. It was similar to the ones she'd deactivated earlier, old-fashioned and made up of a series of overcomplicated strokes. It was as if the person writing it had been gone insane—

Reina gasped, realization settling in on her features. She'd finally remembered where she recognized these seals from.

It'd been in that small red book Shiho had given her, all those year ago.

She turned to Haku, face pale, pupils dilated.

The boy noticed immediately, dropping the book he'd also started to leaf through.

"What's wrong, Reina?" he asked, pulling at her sleeve.

"It's..." Reina put her head in her hands, "It's here? Oh god, it must be. This is it, this is the place. In  _Kiri_? Really?"

"What do you mean, this is the place?"

"It's where this body—where I was born!" Reina's breathes grew short. "It has to be, isn't it? This is the town where they went crazy... The Kitani clan."

Zabuza stood from where he'd been listening in his chair.

"Wait," Zabuza said slowly. His deep voice sounded gravelly, most likely a result of still recovering from his recent wound, but the sharp tone was still there. "you were from the Kitani clan. I'd heard stories that they all died out years ago, after going crazy and killing one another. Ripped each other limb from limb."

"Okay, gross," Reina said, rubbing her temples. "but yeah, who knows. Maybe. I don't know." she stared down at the book in her hand. Slowly but surely, as she leafed through the pages, she started to remember the other seals and symbols that matched the book Shiho had given her. If only she could read these...

"Didn't they have some sort of strange ability?" Haku said suddenly. "A... Kekkei Genkei. Right? That's what made them go crazy, I heard."

Reina paused. Kekkei Genkei were still a sore subject in Kiri, though it'd been long since the war's end. Then again, Haku had one, so obviously the group was fine with the idea.

"Yeah," Reina untied the hakama band from her wrist, "that's what this is. It's called the Tomeru, but they had it sealed away when I was younger."

Haku and Zabuza glanced at the seal, before Zabuza scoffed.

"What's the point of having an extra ability if you don't use it?"

"Uh, because it makes you go crazy, like Haku said?" Reina gestured back in the direction of the cave. "Now that I know where we are, I'm assuming that's where my relatives all went to die after they lost it."

"Oh," Haku's eyes widened, "I'm... I'm so sorry. That's horrible."

"Eh. Haku and I searched the cave on our way here. None of them had any money on them. If they were going to go crazy anyways, they should've used that Kekkei Genkai for something more profitable in the meantime." was Zabuza's only comment. "Should've known that guy's intel was bad. Grey-haired freak..."

"...Anyways," Reina said, ignoring him, "it doesn't matter, I guess. My Tomeru's sealed for good. I mean, it's weird to be here, but I don't even remember being born here, and it looks like I won't get any more answers about my roots from these anyways." She gestured to the rows upon rows of useless, illegible books.

"If you can't read these, what made you think they were from your clan?" Haku asked.

"The man who brought me to my old village had a book with him that had the same seals," Reina explained, "though actually, that book was written in code too. They just had someone who could translate it back there."

"Then why don't you return with some of these books and ask them to translate them as well?" Haku suggested. "Perhaps you'll find additional information that could be useful to you. Maybe it might even help you overcome some of the obstacles with your abilities."

Reina paused for a moment before laughing. "I can't go back. They all think I'm dead. How mad would they be if I just showed up so they could translate some books?" she shook her head. "It's not worth it, trust me."

"Are you sure? Because these diagrams looks frightening." Haku pointed to a picture of the human body, arrows stroked in aggressively, pointing to different sections of its arms, legs, and head. The universal sign for 'warning' covered the page. "It looks like this might be saying there are possible side effects of your ability."

"Right," Reina said, "but I already knew that."

"This diagram," Haku said flipping the page, before point at a diagram of a chakra system. "shows an underdeveloped chakra pathway too. Look, how his are paths thinner than normal, and he's even missing some near the shoulders and legs here. That's dangerous. Without really advanced chakra control, you could risk overbearing your system much more than most people, and having the excess chakra flood your system. It's like trying to hold water back with a weak dam; the dam will break, and the water will wreck everything in its path."

Reina shrugged. "I had them check when I was kid. They said my pathways were fine."

"Right, but when you're a kid, they're still developing. A lot of pathways are thin when you're younger anyways, and if you're missing any they usually grow in later. That might not be the case with you, if this diagram is accurate. Chakra systems are usually determined by genetics, so you're more likely to have this problem if it was a feature of your clan."

"...Oh." Reina said. She didn't know that.

"Or this?" Haku's finger slid down to the next page, where there was a picture of a human brain. Reina frowned.

"What about it?"

"Look. This brain, it's swollen here," Haku gestured. "where the memory is stored. If that happens, you could see permanent memory loss, reduced cognitive function, not to mention a reduction in motor skills... And what's worse, they're using a child to model this. If they're suffering this at such a young age, it might not even be a side effect of the Tomeru. That might be something genetic too."

A shock of cold stiffened Reina's body. Her veins filled with ice as she stared down at the page, as if really seeing it for the first time.

Haku turned to her, eyes widening in the slightest. "Reina? Are you okay?"

She barely heard him, mind an internal war of raging thoughts and decisions. The underdeveloped chakra pathways she could've dealt with, fine. That would've sucked but she'd work around it. But memory loss?

All her life here, Reina had operated on the fact that she undeniably knew more about what was happening, and what was going to happen, than most people she interacted with. Now that she was met with the fact that regarding her own body, that wasn't the case, a deep anxiety settled in her. There was a risk out there she could lose her memory, that she would no longer know more than others, no longer have the foresight she'd depended on to know who to avoid. To know who the ghosts were.

She wasn't sure she could survive without that knowledge.

"Hand me that book," Reina muttered, finally deciding on a new course of action. "and any others you can find. Put them in a bag, will you, Haku?"

The boy looked confused. "Okay... But what for?"

"I'm going to go see an old... Friend. Person. Acquaintance, I guess." Reina sighed. "Nevermind, just help me pack these books and I'll explain later."

Haku nodded obediently before heading back towards the shelves.

"Are you returning to your previous village after all, then?" Zabuza asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That..." she looked down at the book in her hand with hesitance.

Reina silently cursed herself and cursed this world, this world that should've never been real, for doing this to her.

She cursed the irony of the fact she could lose her only real advantage to the genetics of a body she didn't ask for. This was the worst possible situation that could've come out of this.

But perhaps she could prevent it.

"That's right. I'm sneaking back into Konoha."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's getting kind of hard to edit these longer chapters, let me know if I missed anything lol


	13. Strange Shadows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Really, she should've seen this one coming.

Reina stared at the forehead protector in her hands for an endless stretch of time before finally packing it in her bag.

It'd been a lifetime ago since she'd worn it. Half a lifetime, technically, considering it'd been 7 years, and that she was 14 now.

Or at least, half _this_  lifetime. She was surprised she'd managed to keep it amongst her things all this time.

"Are you ready?" Haku asked, appearing next to her with a small book in his hand. They had travelled to the shore right at the edge of the country, where a boat had been left waiting for her, thanks to a bribe made by Zabuza earlier in the week.

"Ready," Reina said. "Thanks for coming to see me off, by the way. You really didn't have to." Zabuza sure hadn't bothered. Reina'd woken at dawn to see the man hadn't even bothered to leave his tent for her goodbye.

"I'm sorry I can't go with you any further, but Zabuza doesn't want any delays in our plans because of this." he said, handing her the book. "But here, before I forget. We found this in the cave, on the way back. It's written in code as well, but perhaps you can add it to the ones you'll ask your friend to decipher."

"Really?" Reina took it gratefully. "I must have missed it because it's so small. Thanks, Haku."

"Of course. I hope you're able to accomplish your goal during your trip."

"Me too," Reina sighed, packing the book and the forehead protector back in the single bag she was bringing on her trip. Those two items were honestly the most interesting of the belongings she was bothering to bring along, besides that yellow ribbons Kushina had given her all those years ago.

"So... Konoha is really alright with Kekkei Genkai?" Haku said quietly, surprising Reina. He didn't usually ask such direct questions about her old village.

"Huh? Oh... Yeah." She remembered Haku's rather tumultuous relationship with his ability's history. Still, there was no need to lie to the boy. "There are entire clans centered around them, actually. The Hyugas, Uchihas, Naras, Akimichis... And more."

"Wow," Haku said, smiling. "that sounds nice."

"I... I suppose it is," Reina rubbed at her wrist awkwardly. Konoha, for all its downfalls, had been a far friendlier place than Kiri. Though that wasn't very hard. Still, that much, even Reina could admit. "I'm sorry yours have given you such a hard time though, Haku."

"It's alright. Zabuza has taught me to not let my past beat me down. We can only hope to live on, and die without regret."

Die without regret. Fitting words from the ghost in front of her. "What would you regret?"

"Not serving Zabuza to my fullest potential." Haku said immediately, a bit overly eager.

Reina worked very, very hard, not to react externally to that.

"Alright... Well, how do you face it, then? Knowing you could die?"

Haku's smile didn't falter. "I am not afraid of death. I only fear that regret."

At that, Reina did flinch, but she attempted to hide it by turning her face.

"Right. Anyways, I should get going now. We won't be able to keep this boat in port forever."

"Of course." Haku nodded, giving her a small wave. "Goodbye, Reina. See you soon."

"Goodbye, Haku."

 

* * *

 

A few days later she was traveling on foot in the Land of Fire, several miles from reaching Konoha's gates. Though it'd incurred a great debt towards him on her part, she was able to get Zabuza to help her out with some of his connections for papers to pass through all the border checkpoints thus far, but she still had one last major obstacle. The village gatekeepers manning the gate.

Reina was pretty confident in her ability to do this. She'd been trained in the shinobi art of stealth by none other than Zabuza Momoichi the last seven years, after all...though in practice, he often chose to enter fights with the subtlety of a freight train.

She hid in the trees for a few hours, waiting for someone to exit the gate's overly large, painted doors. It was warranted, she supposed, since summons could get to giant-toad size here. No point in asking them to scale the wall each time they entered, when a comically big exit-way could just be built instead.

"Ugh, forgot how many trees there are here," Reina muttered. She certainly wasn't in Kiri anymore. The sheer amount of squirrels she'd seen in the last hour surpassed the amount she'd seen in Kiri in 7 years.

 _Crrrk._  The loud creak of the gate opening caught her attention. She repositioned herself on the branch she'd been perched on to see who was coming out. Her face almost split into a grin as she him.

Inoichi Yamanaka. His eyes were focused on his map, following the path east once he'd reached the first fork in the forest. From the pack on his bag, it looked like he was leaving for more than a short day trip, which worked well for Reina. It'd be a while before he returned and anyone realized what she'd done, and by then she'd be halfway back to Kiri.

 _Yes_ , she thought triumphantly. Even if she got caught, she might could avoid Inoichi's mind-probing jutsu thing now that he was out of the village. Plus, she'd have extra references from her memory of his voice and looks from the original series for her Transformation Technique. This could actually work, then.

The plan she'd come up with Zabuza was simple; wait for someone to exit the gate, take on their appearance with the Transformation Technique, and try to sneak back into the village right after. All she had to do was pray there was no Sharingan user manning the helm, or anyone that could detect the constant stream of chakra she was emitting; or even just a particularly detail-oriented paperwork checker.

Of course, no matter what chunin was guarding the gate, they probably wouldn't be easy to deal with if her plan was found out.

 _No,_  Reina realized, as the gate came into view. Especially not this chunin.

" _Kasuga?!_ " Reina whispered to herself, watching the older boy yawn in his seat. "You've got to be kidding me!"

He'd gotten taller, obviously, if not a bit more square-jawed. Reina could've laughed at the fact that despite all his big talk, after 7 years he had only made it to the level of chunin. Then she'd remembered that she herself was technically still a genin, and therefore actually lower-ranking than he was, and immediately felt worse.

That guy with the bandage wrapped above his nose also stood manning the gate's entrance booth. Reina had forgotten his name, though he was semi-relevant in the series. She did at least remember that he was an adept enough fighter than it warranted being concerned about his presence.

She really needed to not screw this up. Though her walk up to the gate booth was the most calculated copy of another's man gait she had ever done, the two gate guards still blinked in surprise at her approaching form.

"Sorry, I know I was just here," Reina said, trying very hard to match Inoichi's voice. The Transformation Technique was strange in that it didn't completely help match the voice of the person you were posing as, though it could bring you part of the way there. The rest was up to the user to make up for the difference, however. She was pretty confident she'd brought her voice low enough, however, as she continued, "but I realized I left an important document for the mission at home. I'd like to just quickly retrieve it."

Kasuga turned to the older man. "That should be fine. Right, Kotetsu?"

Kotetsu's eyes narrowed at Reina.

 _Fuck,_  Reina thought. She'd perfected her Transformation Technique over the years, as it'd been required on a lot of the adventures she'd gone on with Zabuza; and every detail of this one had been carefully pored over by her. Still, Inoichi was pretty well-known in Konoha... Perhaps she'd missed something after all.

"You're not usually this forgetful, sir," Kotetsu remarked.

"Well, I..."

Kotetsu's arm reached out towards her. Reina did everything in her power not to reach for a kunai as his hand landed near her neck.

"I guess you weren't kidding when you said that wife of yours was giving you trouble," Kotetsu laughed, patting her shoulder amicably. "can't imagine what you'll do if she gets her way for a second kid. But of course, you can come back through."

It couldn't be this easy. Was there a catch? Or was this a trap? He'd been way too friendly.

 _Stop being so paranoid, Reina,_  she told herself. People in Konoha was just that  _nice_. She'd have to remember what that was like if she wanted to blend in.

The trick to going unnoticed while infiltrating enemy territory was to not look like you were in any particular rush, Zabuza had at least taught her that much. So she strolled through the village like any man who'd lived here all his life would.

As she roamed, Reina couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing. Most things had stayed the same, or at least stayed similar, in her time away. Shops, restaurants, roads and parks had mostly stayed where she'd remembered them otherwise. Certain food stalls had changed their fare, but she noticed the sweet senbei stand she'd always hated, right outside the training ground her team used to frequent. It'd made her feel a bit sentimental, if not a bit queasy.

It wasn't until she glanced a large painted fan on the side of a white wall, that she realized what had changed; the Uchiha district had moved. Its tall, gleaming walls, once impossible to miss from the village's center, were now tucked into a small corner near the edge of town. Right, that'd happened in the series too, hadn't it? A part of her couldn't help but wonder how Shisui had reacted to the move, before shaking her head. She wasn't here to think about old teammates.

She walked past, trying hard not to stare at the clan members milling in and out of the entrance as she weaved over to where she'd known the Cryptology lab to be. She prayed silently that the lab, at least, was still where she remembered it.

A part of her hated to admit it, but she'd missed Konoha. As much as she tried to distance herself, this had been the village where people had taken her in when she had no one else. She hadn't been able to help but wonder how the village had fared in her absence, though some of that curiosity had been softened by her previous knowledge of the series. Still, it couldn't hurt to see for herself that the village had successfully recuperated after the Kyuubi incident. Her Transformation Technique was the best it'd ever been. Nobody would know ever know she was here.

She was naturally paranoid, and needed to make sure things were going to plan. It would have all been worth it, if only things would stay the same as it'd been in the series; therefore keeping her, and the village's, future safe.

"Oops!" Reina felt a sudden bump on the back of her leg as a high voice yelped, "Sorry, old man!"

She blinked, glancing down to see a little boy wearing a light yellow tee and green undershirt.

It was  _him_. Blonde hair, blue eyes, whiskered face.

He tilted his head once he noticed her staring, Reina's jaw dropping as they met eyes.

The friendly neighborhood hallucination, back in action.

Just the sight of Naruto had already given her a headache. Was that how the hallucination worked? As long as she was in Konoha, even after all these years, she would still see that annoying little Kyuubi boy?

That was the last thing she needed see today.

"Oh, not YOU." Reina couldn't help but snap. Just the thought of their last interaction made her blood boil. "You come crawling back  _now_? Wasn't it bad enough you ditched me in Kiri to die?! I am completely fine living my life not looking like a crazy person now, thank you—"

The little Naruto stared at Reina, mouth agape. It took a second for Reina's wits to catch up with her emotions as she processed the situation. Naruto made a face as slowly, ever so slowly, she reached out to tap the boy's shock of yellow hair.

She winced as her fingers made contact with the spiked strands.

"...You're not a hallucination, are you."

"..."

"...Am I yelling at a little orphan boy in the middle of the street?"

Tears bubbled at the corner of the boy's eyes, his hands balled in angry fists at his sides. Reina remembered he was probably only around around six years old right now.

Great.

Reina shifted awkwardly from one foot to another before deciding to make an escape. "S-Sorry about that. I'm going to go now..."

As she ducked away into the closest alleyway, mortified, she learned that the situation could only grow worse from there.

"Hey Inoichi," a voice drawled from behind her. "what was that back there?"

Reina froze. She recognized that lazy intonation.

"I know that kid's been a lot of trouble lately," Shikaku continued, approaching slowly from behind her. "but it's not like he's done anything personally to you. What's gotten into you today?"

"Uh, nothing," she said, turning to face the older man. She was silently praying, hoping, and pleading to the universe to let her get out of this one somehow. "guess I'm just a little... Stressed. Stuff with the wife, is all. I'll apologize to Naruto later."

"Oh, is she still going on about a second kid?" Shikaku chuckled. "Man, what a drag. My wife's the opposite, thankfully. One is already too much of a hassle as it is."

"I'll say." she agreed, momentarily relieved.

"Hey, weren't you supposed to be going on that mission today?" Shikaku said, crossing his arms. "You kept mentioning it the other day, how annoying it was that the Hokage was having you sent out to the Land of Tea."

"Right," she said, "it's really awful timing. I'm just on my way out, actually, and I—"

Then she stopped, realizing her mistake.

The Land of Tea? No, Inoichi's path had tapered off east, not south, when he'd left the village. There'd be no reason to take a longer route, since Konoha didn't have any enemies along the southern path anyways.

This was a trick.

She brought her gaze slowly away from Shikaku's eye line, glimpsing down at his hands.

Of course. He'd inched his crossed arms together to form an upside-down seal when she wasn't looking. That'd been her first mistake; you never look away from another shinobi's hands.

And that's when she saw it.

It was just the slightest flicker of a shadow on the wall of the building next to them, but that was all he'd need to incapacitate her. She immediately moved to the right to dodge, foot sloshing onto a bag on garbage, glaring at Shikaku as she went.

"Hey, what are you doing?!"

"Oh, sorry," Shikaku said mildly. "my hand slipped." Right. The Shadow Imitation Technique took going through several seals at once; how likely was it that his hand managed to 'slip' that many times?

"Like hell it did," Reina snapped, leaping back as another shadow came darting towards her on the ground. She needed to get out of this alley; there was too little space and far too many shadows for Shikaku to access here.

She looked around her to see the alley they'd gone down ended in a wall just behind her. Great. The only way out was up, then.

He'd notice if she reached for her pouch, so she went for the blade she'd hidden on a strap connected to her glove instead. Though by the time she'd flung the weapon in his direction, Shikaku was already dodging, the distraction had still given her the time she needed.

Her mind raced as she jumped and clung to the nearest wall, using her chakra to scramble up as quickly as she could. She'd barely managed to make it over the roof's ledge when he'd pulled up behind her. She jumped back to put some distance between them, kunai already readied in her palm. Behind her was a line of clothing being dried on the rooftop, a cotton shirt swaying in the wind and tickling the back of her head. A bucket of water sat near her feet, the a wet cloth and washboard left unattended at its right.

"I have to say, that's impressive work. You do look just like Inoichi." Shikaku said, hands now at his side, having abandoned his seal. He stood several feet in front of her, hands resting seemingly harmlessly at his sides. "I can see how that managed to get you through the gates. Still, clumsy move there in the street, drawing all that attention to yourself. I've known Inoichi for a while, and he's not one to scream at a child. Not even one as troublesome as Naruto."

None of the friendliness she'd remembered from when he was her instructor remained in his expression as he continued. "So tell me, who are you? Are you a foreign shinobi trying to attack us from within? I know you're not from around here, or else you wouldn't have had to take on Inoichi's image to get in."

"I..." Reina swallowed tensely. "I'm not here to fight. I'm just here for something I need."

"You sure look ready to fight." Shikaku said, eyeing her kunai. His arm didn't move much, except for the small twitch of his fingers in the direction of his weapons pouch; but that was warning enough.

Reina's own eyes narrowed. So that was how it was going to be. "Yeah, well, this is just what happens when you back me into a corner." And then she darted forward.

It probably wasn't a smart move, trying to take Shikaku head-on, but her options were limited right now.

He already had a kunai out by the time she'd made it over, meeting her own weapon in a block in one swift move.

 _Clnnnk._  The sound of metal meeting metal rang loudly in the air, and Reina was momentarily relieved it was still early morning. Not too many on the street to witness their fight, at least. He slid his kunai out of its position with a flick of his wrist, the force of it almost knocking Reina's own weapon out of her hand. Reina was surprised at his speed; he'd certainly never showed his true combat ability when he'd been her mentor. He pulled back, raising the kunai in the air again, and aimed straight down for her shoulder.

She was a little confused at the angle he was going for, but she spun out of the way just in time, again meeting her kunai with his in an attempt at a block.

"Your grip on your weapon's not as strong as the average adult shinobi." Shikaku commented, pushing down on the metal weapon. It was like a game of tug-of-war, except Shikaku was winning, his own weapon inching closer to Reina than hers was to him. "And you waited to dodge until my kunai was closer to your shoulder. That means you're probably quite a bit shorter than Inoichi, aren't you? How old are you, exactly?"

It was jarring, how much he'd gotten just from that one strike. He pulled out another kunai with his free hand, slamming it in her direction again. Reina ducked back, this time while attempting a kick at his middle. Anything to get out of this game of tug-of-war.

He dropped the weapon before he caught her foot mid-air, throwing her down to the floor with bruising force. She yelped as she hit the ground hard, her shoulder catching the brunt of the damage. She clutched it with a wince, as the shadows of the rooftop snaked and slithered towards her.

She'd barely stood up in time, legs practically flailing as she scrambled backwards to avoid the shadows. A second later, and she would've been caught.

 _How am I going to do this?_  she thought frantically, lowering her arm from her shoulder. It felt like the injury was forming more of a bruise than a sprain, so she'd just have to ignore the ache for now.

The more pressing matter was her old mentor's famed Kekkei Genkai. One hit from that Shadow Imitation Technique, and it'd all be over. She needed to occupy his hands and prevent him from performing another seal, while still giving herself time to get away.

She glanced at the bucket laid out on the floor. There was one jutsu in particular she'd been working on lately, though she'd been meaning to wait to test it out an upcoming mission with Zabuza and Haku. But now was as good a time as any to see if it was battle-ready.

To occupy Shikaku's line of sight, Reina took her last wrist blades and aimed it at the area near Shikaku's feet, knowing she'd miss by a couple of centimeters. He'd realized it too, and barely made the effort to shift his stance as it dug into the concrete of the roof underneath him.

She heard a curse from the man not half a second later, as he'd finally noticed the small paper seal decorating the handle of her blade. Shikaku's feet were a blur as he quickly shuffled back, right to the roof's edge, narrowly avoiding the sizable explosion that the weapon detonated.

Reina secretly thanked Zabuza for the idea. The first wrist blade without the seal was to trick the enemy into thinking the next one would be normal as well. It was a bit overly simplistic for a fighting tactic, but that was why nobody expected it. Plus, being overly simplistic yet effective was pretty much Zabuza's  _entire brand_.

The distraction had stolen her the few moments she needed to activate her next jutsu unnoticed. She took a deep breath to ready herself, staring intently at the bucket and its clear, liquid holdings as she went through the seals she'd been memorizing the last few months. It'd be the first time she'd use this in combat, but honestly, there was nothing to lose at this point. Plus, this was more of a Kiri-specific technique, so she hoped the element of surprise might aid her again here.

 _Yes!_  she cheered internally as the water gushed up from its metal container and starting to form the image she'd hoped for. It really, truly was draining on her chakra reserves for her to create a Water Clone Jutsu that could also take on the form of her transformation as Inoichi; but she'd gone this far to keep her identity hidden, she wasn't going to stop now.

"Keep him occupied," Reina whispered to her clone as Shikaku started his approach from the other side of the rooftop, "use whatever jutsu you can, just try not to tap into our reserves too much."

The clone nodded, before going through a series of hand seals to form a genjutsu again Shikaku, hopefully one that would prevent him from seeing real Reina's path of escape. Reina ran forward at that, leaving the clone behind to deal with her old mentor.

It was unclear how much time the clone could buy, but Reina remembered Konoha well enough to know there were plenty of hiding spots for where it would take Shikaku at least a few minutes to find her. She ducked back into another empty side street, intent on making it into the forest at the edge of the village's wall, where she had a better chance of losing her old teacher.

She'd barely made it to the ground before an Anbu with a beaked mask was standing in front of her, arms crossed and blocking her path.

 _Oh no._ Reina halted in her tracks.

It made sense there'd been an Anbu nearby, considering she'd just accosted Naruto on the streets. She'd overlooked the fact that at such a defenseless age,  _of course_  the Kyuubi container would have some sort of guard on his heels.

Did that mean he'd been following her since then? It irked her that he might've watched the entire fight with Shikaku, only to step in when it was clear the other man had failed to capture her. Perhaps that was Anbu policy; part of that whole 'working from the shadows' thing. Still, he'd given her false hope that she was home free and she resented him for it.

Anbu were not known for their merciful tactics, even in Konoha, and her reserves weren't exactly at their ideal levels right now. She ran through the list of things in her head she'd had in her arsenal. Kunai, senbon, smoke bombs, and a hodgepodge of pre-written seals... It wasn't enough to take down an Anbu, though. When it came to weaponry, she could only hold him off for so long.

No, she needed something a little more... debilitating.

 _Sorry, but also not sorry, whoever you are,_  she thought. Genjutsu was a tricky thing, and creating a good enough illusion that could convince a Anbu was even trickier, so she'd need to go all out. Distract him so much he could forget he was even in a genjutsu. If he'd really been watching the fight with Shikaku, or even had any sense of his own, he'd consider her as an outsider too. There's no reason he would expect her to know what the creature that'd terrorized them all those years ago would look like in that great of a detail, then.

Her hands went up in seals, and she called on the last of her reserves to bring up the most terrifying illusion she could think of in the moment.

The Kyuubi.

The Anbu's eyes widened as the red beast shot up from the ground. Swirls of red, orange, and black chakra shot out from all direction, the power of it burning through the sky like fire. He immediately tensed and threw an entire wave of kunai at the beast before a tail came flying in his direction.

"Shit!" he yelled as he crouched to the floor in a dodge. "Wait, you, come back here!"

Reina was already running off, triumphant in her escape. Outsmarting an Anbu wasn't a feat just anyone could accomplish, after all, especially a 14 year old. Not that she was technically that young. But still.

That triumph died in her throat as she felt the handle of a sword ram into her stomach. Hard. She doubled over, clutching her middle, as shockwaves of agony rippled through her.

As she looked up to face her attacker, it wasn't the realization that the genjutsu had failed to stall the Anbu that filled her with dread. It wasn't even the fact that he had unsheathed the tanto strapped to his back, and was now pointing the sharp end right at her face.

No. It was the spinning red eyes she'd glimpsed through the holes of his mask that really threw her off. The Sharingan.

Well, shit.

She immediately avoided his gaze, knowing he could use the Sharingan to knock her out if she looked into those eyes for long enough.

"You almost had me for a second there. But genjutsu won't work on me. Not with these." he spoke, gripping the handle of his tanto hard. He'd sounded young, but Reina knew better than to underestimate anyone wearing that kind of mask. "So you might as well surrender now."

"Uhhh," Reina said, still clutching her stomach. "okay, sure, what happens if I do that?"

"...What?" she could hear the confusion in his voice.

"Like, look, I mean, I'll surrender if you'll just escort me out of the village or something," Reina continued, slowly holding up one hand in deference, though she kept her gaze away from his eye level. "but if you're going to put me in T&I, then probably not."

"Well, it's not really your say at this point." the ANBU explained, before shaking his head. "Wait, why am I even discussing this? Just... Come with me."

"No thanks," Reina said, pulling out an explosive seal with her other hand. "I'm not too into the idea of getting tortured  _or_  interrogated."

Whoever they were, they were fast, as his blade was practically at her neck by the time she'd finished her sentence. Reina knew it was coming, however, and already had the seal activated almost as soon as she'd brought it out. What  _he_  most likely hadn't been anticipating, however, was her slamming the seal on the Anbu's sword instead of his body.

Though he must've seen the action coming, as his Sharingan was still activated, the problem for him was that he was already swinging the weapon towards her. Even after seeing her movement, there wasn't time to stop the powerful momentum he himself had put behind the sword.

"Shit," he spat, throwing the tanto to the floor right before the explosion. There was a cloud of smoke between them as Reina stepped back, ready to make another escape.

Suddenly, she felt something was off; echoes of pain had her muscles tensing as the memories of her water clone's defeat came rushing back to her.

Shikaku had won against her clone already. It was likely she barely had seconds before he arrived.

Her stamina was running low, as carrying out both her Inoichi transformation, the water clone, and the Kyuubi genjutsu had already pretty much depleted her chakra reserves. She could have barely handled Shikaku at this rate, let alone an Anbu-level shinobi as well.

She turned to run off immediately, before Shikaku could make his entrance.

"Hold it," Reina screeched to a halt as the Anbu appeared in front of her once more, the scorch marks still dark on his weapon. Which he was now holding again. Forget her earlier statement; he wasn't just fast, he was  _ridiculously_  fast. He'd just covered the entire distance between them in a few milliseconds, and had still found the time to pick his tanto off the floor. She'd expected him to take at least a second to recover his bearing from the blast.

The tanto sliced cleanly in the air right above her head as Reina barely managed to roll away in time. Technically it wasn't even in time, as the cool metal of the blade managed to lick into her cheek. She brought her hand up to her face, feeling the wet stick of blood. The slice stung, but it was just a small cut. She'd had worse.

 _Man, almost getting caught in that explosive must've really pissed him off if he's going for the head now,_  she thought. Or maybe it was the traumatic chakra beast incident she's resurfaced memories of. Most of the citizens of this village probably wouldn't have appreciated that.

"You're not going any further than that," the Anbu said lowly. "there's nowhere to run that I can't catch up."

"We'll see about that—" Reina started to say. She didn't have time to finish her sentence, however, as that was the moment when her entire body snapped still.

She tried to push against it, her muscles screaming for release from their entrapment; yet she couldn't move them. Not even an inch.

"Gotcha," came Shikaku's voice from behind her.

Reina had never, in her life, been subject to the Shadow Imitation Technique, and every part of her being hated it. The feeling immediately transported her back to the time her overuse of the Tomeru had landed her in a hospital bed, similarly unable to move. For a moment, it was like she was that little version of Reina again, staring at the ceiling of the hospital room as she waited for her surgery day; silently wishing she was back in her old world and not one made up of shinobi and jutsus.

The familiarity of that horrible feeling immediately sent her mind into a panic. She could feel her Transformation Technique, which required a constant stream of chakra to be funneled through to it, sputtering out with her waning focus. Seconds later the pop of deactivation rang in her ears, but she still dared to hope she'd only imagined the hissed gasp of recognition her old teacher was making.

"...What a surprise." Shikaku said, shoulders tensed, though his hands were still clamped in seal formation to prevent her escape. "But I guess you're just full of surprises. Aren't you, Reina?"

She could feel the Anbu next to her stiffen, though she couldn't turn her head to see the cause.

"Uh... Hi?" she said meekly, wishing more than anything that she could move right now. "I can explain."

"I'm sure you can. It's nice to see you're doing well."

Well. Today was not her day.

Shikaku stepped back, and Reina could feel the pull on her legs as her own body followed. It hurt a lot more than she'd thought it would, trying to will her body against the technique as he moved her. But the pain at least reminded her that no, this wasn't the same as that paralysis she'd experienced all those years ago. So long as she could feel the strain on her muscles, her mind was able to settle a bit.

"What... What is this? Is this real? Or is it another genjutsu?" The Anbu's voice was evidently shaken as he made to stand at their left. As Shikaku turned his head to face him, Reina's also did, and she caught sight of the Anbu lowering his mask.

Oh no.

" _Shisui?_ " Reina gasped, all semblance of calm now shattered again.

He had grown so much these last 7 years. Her old teammate now had more than half a foot of height on her, as well as broadened shoulders and a still boyish, yet lean build. His face and nose had lengthened as well, all the baby fat he'd once held in his cheeks having now dissipated into a small, squared chin. Those long-lashed eyes and expressive features, however, hadn't changed.

And what a range of emotions those features looked to be going through. In the seconds she'd seen him without his mask, he had already switched from confused, to shocked, to livid, all in one fell swoop.

"You tell me." Shikaku said dryly, ignoring Reina to address Shisui's question. "And while you're at it, make sure she can't get away again. I can only hold this for so long."

Shisui's eyes spun again as he turned to look into Reina's, and for the second time in this life, she found herself being knocked out by his Sharingan.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shisui as an Anbu is weirdly fun to write
> 
> Also: early release because work is crazy and I'm not going to have time to edit this later this month enjoy


	14. Devouring Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things have changed since Reina'd last been in Konoha. Which tends to happen after seven years.

_Chrnk. Chhk._

Reina couldn't help but roll her eyes as the cuffs she'd been forced to wear clanked together. The sound was obnoxiously loud, as if emphasizing the pathetic state of her situation. She'd managed to get caught barely a few hours into her plan, and now here she was, a prisoner in the village she'd spent years avoiding.

"My arm hurts," Reina whined, gesturing wildly with her elbow to show off her bandaged limb. "can't you take off the cuffs, just for a minute?"

Shikaku didn't even humor her with an answer. Her pleas were only met with a deep sigh as her old instructor pushed her up the stairs to the Hokage's office. The silent solemnity he'd been practicing since picking her up from her holding cell had worried her a bit, at least at first.

Now she realized he was probably in the same boat as her, who'd expected to be taken to Ibiki in T&I. Surely they'd have a lot of question they were willing pry out of her, at whatever cost. To whatever amount of pain it took.

But instead, she now found herself climbing up the stairs of a familiar rounded red building.

"This is stupid," she said aloud as they continued their ascent. "you're going to let someone you'd caught sneaking into your village, who you'd last seen in a foreign land that we used to be at war with, just waltz into your leader's office?" Sure, her hands were bound and her chakra cut off by the series of seals they'd placed on her; but she still didn't see the logic in this course of action.

To her surprise, Shikaku actually gifted her with a reply.

"We haven't been at war with the Bloody Mist for years. Plus, the Hokage himself insisted you see him first, once he got word. It's out of my hands."

"Really? You don't have a say in things, even as the Jonin Commander?" Reina taunted. That's what the guards had addressed him as when he'd come to pick her up from her cell, at least. "Congrats on the promotion, by the way."

Her sarcasm wasn't lost on him. "My authority still doesn't outrank the Hokage's. If it did, you'd be sitting with a Yamanaka right now."

"It's not like you could do the mind read thing anyways. Inoichi left the village. I saw him. Obviously."

"There are other Yamanakas, Reina." he spoke with an equal, if not greater, amount of bite back.

"Oh...right." In her defense, she'd never actually seen anyone else in the series besides Inoichi do the mind-probing thing, so she'd just assumed... But of course, there were probably a bunch of other similarly trained, pale-eyed blondes running around the village. God, was she stupid?

As they reached the top of the stairs, she glimpsed a pair of masked Anbu standing at the end of the hall.

 _...Just my luck_ , Reina thought. It was surprising they weren't stationed somewhere out of sight, like in the ceiling's rafters or on the roof. She almost wished they were, as she glimpsed the one on the left. Though he was sporting a dog-like mask, she was very sure she knew his identity already.

"Aren't you just a magnet for trouble," she could hear him say, his face turned to address his peer, "running into an intruder this early on. Your first day on the job, too."

Reina really had no idea how Kakashi could keep his identity a secret, even with the Anbu mask on. That gravity-defying silver hair of his was too dead a giveaway. Shisui, at least, looked a little more generic standing next to him, even with his signature mussed waves.

"Yeah, well, wait until you see who it is," Shisui said darkly, gaze landing on Reina as she was dragged over. She and Shikakau were in clear view now, walking down the rounded hallway towards them. "it only gets worse."

"What?" Kakashi asked, following Shisui's gaze to Reina as they approached. She couldn't see behind Kakashi's mask, but she could practically feel how his shoulders stiffened from the distance.

A sudden flickering of red shone from behind the dark tint of one of his mask's cutouts, making Reina stop in her tracks. Shisui followed his lead almost immediately, so she now found herself being crushed under the gaze of 3 collective Sharingans spinning frantically in her direction. It was as if those two were still trying to discern whether or not she was real or merely another illusion.

Nope. She was the real deal, sorry to say.

"Hi..." Reina said, jokingly lifting her tightly-bound arms in a sad excuse for a wave. "Surprise."

"...Well," finally came Kakashi's reply an eternity later. Though his tone was bland as usual, there was a tightness to its edges, like a rubber band threatening to snap. "I  _was_  wondering why the Hokage requested us specifically to stand guard out here."

Ah. So they were a warning. Two Sharingan users manning the door as she went in sent a clear message that any further attempts at genjutsu would be futile, thanks to their presence. Not like she would've tried, anyways, with all the seals interrupting her chakra flow.

The boys said nothing else as she passed them by, though Shisui's body language told her that he wanted to. He had just taken a half step forward when Shikaku's hand shot up to block his path; the two met eyes before Shisui gave a sharp nod and stepped back.

She frowned, almost wishing Shikaku had let him talk. Now the air was heavy with resentment, rolling off all of them in waves.

 _Say something,_  she thought to herself as she was led through the Hokage's open door. But really, what was there to say? It was hard to fathom the irony. For the first time in her life, _she_  had been the ghost, here to invade the peace of their quiet lives.

"Reina." Hiruzen's voice interrupted her thoughts. "This comes as a surprise."

Shikaku had closed the door behind them, leaving the three of them alone in the Hokage's office. The familiar smell of sandalwood hit her like a freight train as she turned to face Hiruzen, mentally preparing for what was about to come. She had never been happy to be in this room before, and today was no different.

"Like, a happy surprise?" Reina asked innocently. "Like yay, the little girl that we thought died is actually alive?"

"No. But it is good that you do look well." Considering the situation, Hiruzen's tone was strangely conversational.

"...So people tell me." she said, trying hard not to glance at Shikaku.

"Well then. Reina, why don't we get straight to the point. Tell me, is there any reason you'd failed to contact us after all this time? And then there's the fact you also were sneaking back into the village with these." Hiruzen held up the bag of books Reina had been touting around since leaving Kiri. "Though after glancing through them, it's not hard to get an idea of what you were attempting to do."

"...Start a book club?"

"Reina." Shikaku snapped from behind her, "Don't joke right now."

At least she'd tried. "Okay, fine. Look, after we were attacked and I fell into river, I was injured. I washed up in some weird abandoned district and decided to stay for a bit to rest up. And then afterwards... I just kept staying."

"And why is that?" Hiruzen walked over to the edge of his desk. Though it was just a mere few inches closer, she could already see the white hairs of his beard reflecting the morning light. Not a single brown strand had survived the toiling years since he'd been pulled out of retirement.

"I... I don't know." Reina shrugged. "Rin had just died. After thinking it over, I just figured Konoha was too... dangerous."

"And the Bloody Mist isn't?" Hiruzen asked, expression disbelieving. "You felt it was best to stay in the land where you'd just been attacked by foreign shinobi?"

"I mean, didn't you guys have a chakra beast attack right after I left?" Reina said.

She could _feel_  the disapproval emanating from Shikaku at her statement, the ruffling of his sleeves loud as he crossed his arms. Was she wrong, though?

"That is correct." Hiruzen paused, before bringing up a sudden tangent Reina wasn't expecting.

"I heard you had a run-in with Naruto already." Hiruzen said, pipe still at his lips though he continued speaking without inhaling, "You might have realized this, but both his parents passed away during the Kyuubi attack. I assume you'd heard about..." he paused again.

"About Minato and Kushina?" Reina said, jaw clenching. "Yeah. I'd heard. And Naruto's their kid, right?"

"Correct. It's obvious from his looks, isn't it?" he took a long drag before exhaling a cloud of smoke. "I was told you'd decided on the Kyuubi as the subject of your genjutsu. I can't help but derive some meaning from that, Reina."

"What? It's not meaningful," Reina said quickly, defensively. "I just wanted to conjure up the most distracting imagery possible. That seemed pretty likely to draw some attention."

"Really?" Hiruzen said wryly. "It has nothing to do with the fact that the Kyuubi is known to be Minato's killer? It's common knowledge amongst the older shinobi, here and in other villages."

It was true. She'd almost been surprised at how much delight Kiri's citizens had taken in gossiping about the downfall of their previous wartime foe.

"Perhaps you even knew, that it was the same beast housed by the very boy you'd confronted in the streets. I could hardly believe you'd had any other reason to be angry towards the boy after being away for so long." Hiruzen paused. "I understand your anger, Reina. I too, was distraught when Minato and Kushina passed. Perhaps it's not something you have it in your heart to forgive him for right now, but Naruto, he is truly not at fault..."

Reina could feel something in her brain snap.

 _Oh, hell._  They thought she'd yelled at Naruto because she was mad he was housing the monster that killed his father? Like she was no better than the other villagers that'd ostracized the boy for the death of their beloved Fourth Hokage?

"No!" Reina said curtly. "I don't care about that. Obviously it was Minato's decision, and probably a difficult one, to seal the Kyuubi in his own son. I  _know_  it's not Naruto's fault. He was just a baby; if anything, he's the victim in the situation."

The room was silent for a moment.

Shikaku's stance changed behind her, his uncharacteristically straightened back relaxing in the slightest. To her front, the Hokage was now smiling mildly, pulling in another breath from his pipe.

"One of the things that weighs the most upon my shoulders," Hiruzen continued with a long exhale, "is the fact that in the moment of Kushina's death, many of the Uzumaki clan's cultures and traditions were lost forever. She'd had such great hopes of passing that down to Naruto. Now, that possibility is lost."

Reina held in a cough as the smoke started blowing in her direction. "Uh... Yeah, that sucks."

"Except, there was one thing she'd managed to pass on." Hiruzen turned away from her, approaching the window. "Do you know what that is, Reina?"

"Uhhhhh... The Will of Fire...?" Reina guessed. Honestly, that was as good a guess as any in this place.

"No. I am talking about her family's seals. They were almost all taught to one, singular student before Kushina's death."" Hiruzen said. "You, Reina."

Oh no, she didn't like where this was going. Not at all.

"Now, thanks to your return, I've finally been given an opportunity to alleviate some of this regret..."

"I'm not sure I understand... what are you saying?" Reina said, biting the inside of her cheek. "Can you maybe... just get to the point?"

He turned back around to face the room, immediately meeting Reina's eyes. "Reina. I would like you to teach Kushina's fuinjutsu to Naruto."

Reina's shock vibrated from the tips of her toes to the hair on her eyelashes.

That was hilarious. What a joke. Teach  _Naruto_? Naruto, the literal village idiot? She'd barely been able to learn some of the more advanced seals herself, let alone teach them to someone else. It couldn't be done.

But Hiruzen's face told her he wasn't joking.

"Think of all the good it could do the boy, to have that connection to his past. When the day comes for us to tell him his lineage, he will be grateful to at least have had this."

No. No, Naruto had never known his mother's seals in the series. If she did somehow succeed at teaching the boy...

She'd be changing the story for sure.

"No way." Reina shook her head. "I need to see Shiho  _right now,_  and then I'm heading straight back to Kiri. I mean, I wish I could help, but..."

"No word." Hiruzen said suddenly, "All these years... some might call it an act of betrayal, deserting your village like that."

Reina shifted awkwardly where she stood. Oh, he was playing hardball, wasn't he? "Well, I knew if I sent word, someone might've come to take me back. I didn't want that. And as it turns out, I was born there. Almost as if it was meant to be, you know?" she said, trying to sound as mournful as possible. "Maybe I just wanted to get to know my roots."

Hiruzen sighed. "Ah. So you've found out. I suspected as much when we went through your things."

"You knew?" Reina asked, though it was hard to be too surprised. He was a tome of kept secrets, this man.

"We were hoping to wait to tell you when you were older. But, yes. We'd always known."

"Who's  _we_?"

"Simply me and the Council. Nobody else knows as of now. It is nothing to be ashamed of, Reina. We do house shinobi from other villages within our walls." Hiruzen said. "Being from Kirigakure makes you no less a Konoha citizen in our eyes."

Reina's gaze lifted. "Even after I faked my own death and deserted the village?"

"No," the Hokage said shortly. "that can not go unaddressed."

 _Oof, Reina_ thought.

"But I believe there is a deal that can be made here. You are looking to return to Kiri with your questions on these books answered. What I ask of you will not deter that path, only draw it out. If you are able to tutor Naruto until he's at a skill level we can accept, we will give you an audience with Shiho and absolve you of your crimes against the village."

" _Crimes?_ " Reina exclaimed. "Oh, come on! I didn't  _do_  anything to Konoha."

"We take desertion quite seriously, Reina." Hiruzen's gaze lowered. "You are no exception. This is a deal many would be glad to take, given your situation."

"Look, I'm sorry, but I don't have the time to wait on that kid to learn months, maybe even year's worth of seals. I need those books decoded." Reina could feel her own voice rising in panic, but she couldn't help herself anymore. "Okay yeah, I'm sorry I deserted Konoha, but trust me when I say I had my reasons. You can't do this to me just because of that!"

"I'm sorry as well... But I'm afraid," Hiruzen said, "the choice is out of your hands now, Reina."

She rushed forward towards the Hokage's desk, practically shouting. "No, you can't make me, you can't, you don't understand! There's no way—"

The room filled with a flurry of activity at that. Shikaku grabbing her arm and pulling her back, Shisui and Kakashi suddenly appearing in the room to address the commotion, Hiruzen holding up a hand to stop them from going any further.

She blinked and suddenly they had already dragged her out of the room, Shikaku staying in the office to continue his own conversation with the Hokage. Kakashi was now the one pulling her back from the door and down the hallway.

"Well," Kakashi said lightly as Reina flailed in his grasp, "I guess we have time to chat now, at least."

 

* * *

 

A few moments later, Kakashi had  _shunshin_ 'd her all the way back to her holding cell. To her surprise, Shisui hadn't joined them, therefore leaving her and Kakashi to stare each other down from opposite ends of the barred cell.

"What... Is happening?" Reina's gaze fell down to the concrete flooring as she sat on the bed slab, stunned. "Is the Hokage  _insane_?"

"Careful," Kakashi said, pulling up his mask. A familiar face stared at her from between the bars, though his defined features and the new, hardened glint in his eye indicated the years of change since she'd last seen him. He, like Shisui, was still much taller than her as well, much to her annoyance. "it's probably best not to speak ill of the leader of the village you'd abandoned. You're in a pretty precarious position as is."

Reina glared up at him. "I know. By the way, that mask is entirely pointless. The hair is a dead giveaway."

Kakashi sighed. "So I've been told. Well, it's more for the sake of deceiving foreign shinobi anyways, not those here who already know me by looks."

"Still, isn't it one of Anbu's sacred rules to keep your identity a secret from everyone? It seems like you're not that big on rules anymore, though."

"Afraid not," Kakashi said, "you neither, considering this stunt you're pulling."

"Which one? Leaving the village, or trying to sneak back in?"

"...Both." he leaned against the back wall of the room before continuing. "I have to say, you really had everyone fooled. I'm almost impressed."

"Yes, well, it helps that my team didn't look very hard for me after my death." Had they really thought to look for her, she would've heard word of their search. She'd been keeping an ear out to know how much effort to put into avoiding them, after all. But no, nothing.

"My, you're as sharp as ever." Kakashi paused. "And by sharp, I mean quite dull. But I'll let Shisui be the one to explain later, when he gets the chance. If he ever wants to speak to you again, that is."

Reina's brow twitched at this. "I, what? He's that mad?"

"I would say mad puts it mildly."

"Ugh," Reina groaned. "geez, why? He doesn't even know what happened."

"Emotions and logic run different paths," Kakashi said. There was a sudden drop in his voice, a striking lack of intonation as he continued, "and besides, doesn't he have a bit of a right? Are you really asking why he's mad after you  _abandoned your team_  in the middle of a foreign village?"

The cell wasn't particularly warm to begin with, but Reina was sure the temperature dropped several degrees in that moment. Why were his words just now filling her with such dread?

Oh, that's right.

The echo of Kakashi's favorite quote rang in her head as she stared into his one coal-black eye.

 _Those who break the rules are scum. But those who abandon their friends.._.

Uh oh. Reina gulped, realizing what this truly looked like from Kakashi's perspective.

"Listen, Kakashi," Reina started to say slowly, "I can explain..."

His eyebrows shot up in the slightest. "I'm listening."

"...Uh," Reina wasn't actually prepared to give the explanation yet. She wasn't sure what excuse could even suffice in this situation. Kakashi's standards towards team loyalty were outrageously high.

The following silence didn't exactly convey Kakashi's irritancy, considering his trained absence of telling body language, as well as his lack of expression. Still, she knew it was there, and almost visibly flinched as he started to speak again.

"Do you remember that day?" Kakashi asked.

"Which...?"

"When you ran off without Rin."

Her heart slammed against her chest.

Oh, so this  _could_  get worse. Hesitantly, she nodded her answer, holding out hope that they had already reached the lowest point of the conversation.

"Back then, Kushina told me to try and understand you. That you were just a kid, and you'd learn. And I knew it was my own fault anyways, more than anyone else's. I'll never claim otherwise." Kakashi paused. "But that day, you did run. And now you've run again. You still haven't learned."

"I...I—"

"I could've blamed Konoha for a lot of things," Kakashi interrupted, "some days, I think the village has taken more from me more than anyone else."

His scolding words bit into her, sinking in and not letting go. She wanted more than anything to avert her gaze from his, but she knew that would only make matters worse. It took all her might to force herself to maintain eye contact as he continued,

"Yet even with everything I've lost, I've never cared so little I could just leave this place. But you... you so easily abandoned your team, your friends, and your caretakers, and left them to suffer in your wake. I thought we were similar, you and I. Now I just hope I was wrong."

Reina jumped to her feet. No, she didn't want Kakashi to think of her this way. She needed to give him a proper explanation, anything...

But as soon as she'd made the first move to stand, he was already gone.

 

* * *

 

"The Hokage and I discussed your living arrangements," Shikaku said coolly, a few days after her meltdown in Hiruzen's office. Reina stared at the traditional-looking home in front of her, complete with sliding rice-paper doors and a large wooden fence surrounding it.

"Okay...? So, what are the arrangements?" Reina asked.

"You'll be living with me and my family, obviously. Why else do you think I brought you here?"

"...That's not funny." Reina said dryly.

"It's not a joke. And it's just until we find you another place to stay."

"What? You'd really let someone who just tried to infiltrate the village sleep in a room next to your  _wife and son_?"

"Don't remind me," Shikaku grumbled, grabbing her shoulders and pushing her through the entrance of the house. "you're not sleeping anywhere next to them, though. You're going to be upstairs in the guest room."

"Well, it's better than that holding cell, at least," Reina mumbled. "or any of the times I'd had to camp out in Kiri."

"Exactly," Shikaku sighed as they made their way to the stairs of the house. Reina glanced through the living room as they went, noticing the clean kitchen and spacious dining space. She'd seen the interior of the house very fleetingly in the series, so she couldn't help but be a bit curious with this closer look.

In the end, though, it was almost exactly as one'd imagined a typical family home to look here; except for a few decorative kunai hanging from the walls, or the deers painted on a majority of the paper doors.

Once they'd climbed the stairs to the second floor, Shikaku directed her to a small door on the left of the hallway. He slid it open to reveal a small room with a single dresser and standard tatami flooring. "here's your room. My wife'll be bringing you a fresh bedroll once she gets back from some errands, but for now just get your stuff settled. You're due at Naruto's in an hour."

Reina groaned, setting down her backpack of sparse belongings on the floor. All the books were now gone, thanks to the Hokage's confiscation. "Noooo."

"It's part of the deal, shrimp."

Wow, that nickname she did  _not_  miss. She sighed, sitting down to unpack her things on the floor.

"Bring him a gift or something at least," Shikaku said as he moved towards the door to leave. "he doesn't get a lot of visitors. You'll need to break the ice somehow."

"You mean, screaming at him in the street wasn't good enough?"

Shikaku turned back to face her, frowning deeply.

"...Right, I'll get him something on the way there."

Thirty minutes later, she found herself roaming the streets of Konoha as she delayed her arrival to her destination. As she went, she couldn't help but marvel at all the changes the village had gone through over the past few years; really, they'd torn down her favorite soba place to open up a  _scented soap_   _store_? That was just criminal. Shinobi villages didn't need to indulge in such non-necessities anyways. This was  _certainly_  not the kind of store you'd come across in Kiri.

She'd been examining the exterior of a potential replacement soba restaurant when another garish pink sign caught her eye.  _Yamanaka Flowers._ She couldn't help but stare at the characters for a bit, the very  _name_  Yamanaka sending a shock of trepidation through her. Of course, nobody was probably going to probe her mind here. Hopefully.

"Hello!" a high voice suddenly chirped. "Would you like to buy something?"

Reina froze as she met eyes with a little girl standing right under the sign, her cropped blonde hair framing a confident smile. It was immediately clear this was probably Ino Yamanaka, considering her appearance and their location.

 _Is it weird I just spent the other day disguised as her father and she's none the wiser?_  Reina thought jokingly to herself.

"Oh, um," Reina said aloud, when she realized the girl was still awaiting her answer. Well, at least she might be able to find Naruto's present here. "sure, I'll take a look."

The girl waved her into the store, Reina following suit behind her. A brunette woman was working the register as they walked in, giving them a friendly wave before Reina made her way through the aisles of flower and plants. She didn't know much about flowers or anything, but perhaps the more flamboyant arrangements were best to avoid with the boy...

"What about that one?" Reina asked, pointed at a plant perched on the windowsill. Ino looked up, before climbing over and plucking it off the ledge.

"You mean this?" Ino asked, bringing it over.

It looked to be some kind of herb, a small handful of bright green leaves that ended in rounded points. Well, Naruto could use that. He liked to eat. It'd be weirder to give him actual flowers, anyways.

"Yeah, that's perfect. Can you wrap it?"

The woman behind the register blinked. "You want this wrapped?"

"...It's a gift," Reina explained. The woman, who Reina was starting to think was Ino's mother, nodded sharply before pulling out a sheathe of wrapping paper from under the counter. Her fingers moved quickly as she slid a sheet under the pot's base before folding the wrapping over it. Reina wondered for a moment if this woman was a retired shinobi, or perhaps even an active one. She certainly showcased the deftness of hand required for the job, at least when it came to gift-wrapping.

"Wait," Ino said suddenly, holding up her hand to Reina. "You can't give that as a gift."

"Why not?"

"This plant," Ino pointed out. "it means  _hatred_  in flower language."

Reina stared down at it. Did herbs really adhere to the language of flowers too? She didn't give it much more thought before shrugging.

"That's fine."

"Are you sure? It's a pretty terrible gift." Ino asked, pursing her lips. "Who's it for?" Ah. So she too, was the ever-petulant child. It wasn't really any of her business, but Reina didn't care enough to avoid giving her an answer.

"Naruto. Maybe you know him from school or something?" Hell, had they even started at the Academy by now? She'd graduated herself by their age, but the rules had stiffened regarding entry age post-war.

Ino's jaw dropped. From behind the counter, Reina could see Ino's mother's head shooting up from her work, having just tied the finishing twine bow on the present.

Right. Nobody really appreciated Naruto much at this point in the timeline. She'd also somehow forgotten part of the deal she'd made with the Hokage was that she'd keep her association with the Kyuubi container under wraps.

"Excuse me," Ino's mother grabbed her by the shoulders, taking Reina aside to a corner of the store. Ino looked on curiously, but the woman didn't speak until they were out of earshot.

"Did you say... Don't you know who that boy is?" she whispered to Reina, still clutching the freshly-wrapped plant to her middle. She glanced Reina's forehead protector, which she had elected to tie to her arm this morning. "All the shinobi here should be aware of it. And you must be old enough to remember what happened. Do your parents know where you are right now?"

Reina shrugged. "Not really? I mean, I think they're probably dead. It's most likely they locked themselves up in a cave to die with the rest of my relatives on this one mountain in Kiri."

The woman paled. "Ex...cuse me?"

"Uh, nevermind. Thanks for the plant." Reina said, leaving the money on the counter before ducking out, but not before grabbing her present out of the other woman's hands first.

"...Are you serious?" Kakashi said, already in the alleyway of the flower shop as she rushed off down the street.

 _Geez!_   _Where the heck did he come from?_ Reina thought, almost dropping the plant in her surprise. Luckily her shinobi instincts had kicked in last-minute. Well, not really, she'd fumbled a bit. But still.

Another part of the deal with Hiruzen had been that she would stay under observation by a member of Anbu anytime she was dealing with the Kyuubi boy. That meant getting escorted to and from her sessions with Naruto (most likely to ensure she actually attended them), as well as agreeing to be observed  _during_  their time together as well.

That was fine by her. They could see for themselves how unteachable this boy would be.

"It was a slip up. Won't happen again," Reina held a hand up, the other still clutching the gift herb. "promise."

"...Hn."

A few moments later they were walking together down the street towards Naruto's, the thick silence enveloping them completely. Kakashi's mask bounced up and down, and Reina tried to recall a time in the series she'd ever just seen an Anbu walking down the street with a civilian. She couldn't.

"So... are we going to dance around the subject forever?" Reina said, unable to bear the awkwardness anymore. If he was truly in rotation for her Anbu guard, then he'd most likely been instructed to follow her from a safe, unnoticeable distance. The fact that he wasn't surely meant he was open to talking, right? Or maybe this was just his open defiance of rules again.

Still, it didn't sit well with her, knowing Kakashi was this upset with her.

"What subject?" Kakashi said easily.

"You know what I mean." she paused. Kakashi didn't make any move to reply. "...If you don't want to talk about it right now, we don't have to, but if you ever do—"

"If you wanted to explain yourself, you already had your chance." Kakashi said, suddenly turning on his heel. "Bye, then."

"Wha—? Wait!" Reina called, but he was gone, already having  _shunshin_ 'd away again. She looked up, realizing he had left just as they'd arrived at the stairs to Naruto's apartment.

 _Guess I'm on my own here,_  she thought to herself with a sigh.

As she made her way up to his door, she wondered how she should greet the boy. Surely Kakashi was watching from whatever perch he'd chosen, so it'd be doubly embarrassing to flub her first impression.

(The one on the street didn't count. He hadn't known that was her.)

"Naruto?" she called, knocking on the door. "You in there?"

"Who're you?" The door creaked open just a bit. Giant blue eyes peeked through the sliver, glancing at the wrapped pot in her hands. "I'm not interested, lady."

"I'm not selling it." Reina replied. "It's a gift. For you."

"What? For me? Who even are you?"

"Didn't the Hokage send word? He was supposed to have someone drop off the preliminary work a few days ago."

"Oh yeah!" Naruto blinked, opening the door wider. Reina was very confident he was wearing the same outfit as when she'd seen him in the street last week, and it sure didn't look like it'd been washed since. "You're that seal instructor lady person!"

"Yes. That's right." Reina said. "I am... seal instructor lady person. But you can call me Reina."

He squinted, standing aside to let her in, but not before giving her pale figure and sunken face a quick glance-over. "You look weird. Are you like, a zombie?"

"No," Reina said, extremely dryly. "I am not a zombie."

"Why do you look so sleepy, then?"

"Honestly, I think those are just my genetics. Eyebags must run in the... family." she hoped Kakashi was entertained by this exchange at least, wherever he was.

"Are you really a teacher? Aren't you just a teenager? You don't look like an adult."

"Closer to one than you." Reina said, already tired of the questions. She shoved past him before making her way inside. It was barely the size of a studio apartment, though there was a separate bedroom and kitchen area, with a tiny window on the right. It was also, in a few words, absolutely filthy.

"Ugh. Do you  _ever_  clean this place?"

"I clean! Whenever the old man comes by, at least. But that's only once every few months." he paused. "And I only have a duster, but it broke."

"That's disgusting," Reina said, surveying the rest of the space as she entered the kitchen. Scum on the side of the sink, overfilled trashcans. An overall dank stench in the air. She set the plant on the kitchen counter, knowing it had little hope of surviving in this environment, but still got to unwrapping anyways. "buy a mop or something, at least."

Naruto squinted. "You think I'm made of money or something, haah, lady?"

"...Mops are like, really cheap you know." Reina muttered, moving to set herself down at the kitchen table. She brushed away crumbs and what she dearly hoped was just a shallow puddle of soy sauce collecting on the wooden surface. Didn't Minato and Kushina leave the kid some money? Or was that under the Hokage's control until Naruto grew older? Maybe it was one of those in-a-trust-until-he's-18 kind of things. "But whatever, let's just get this over with. Did you do any of the practice seals I had them send? We can try funneling some chakra into them today to see how they worked."

"Oh no," Naruto laughed. "I guess I forgot!"

Reina stared at him. "You forgot."

"Sorry! I'll do them next time."

"...I hate you." she muttered.

It was true. A part of her hated him already. It wasn't just the fact that he'd been a terribly annoying hallucination in her life for years, though that was definitely a factor. It was also how those tiny freckles spattering his nose, though barely visible, were just like Kushina's; and then there was the fact that his hair was the exact color of the ribbon she'd kept in her pouch. It was hard not to want to be distant with him, when he was a living reminder of ghosts she'd rather forget.

She especially hated the twinge of guilt she felt as she watched Naruto swipe away empty ramen cups and a dozen used chopsticks from a chair next to her. Once he was done, he plopped down on it with a grin.

"...Ugh," she said again, watching how the chair's uneven legs squeaked under his weight. It looked ready to fall to pieces any minute now.

There was little chance he'd be living like this if she'd gotten involved... If she'd warned his parents of their fate. No, instead he'd be living in that big, warm house that Reina herself had spent part of her own childhood in. Had things happened differently, Kushina would've been there to ensure Naruto's room was regularly cleaned, and that the boy was well-fed, not living off of cup ramen.

If he ever found out she'd had the chance to make that life happen for him, Naruto might never forgive Reina for as long as he lived.

"Alright! Let's do this!" he shouted, swinging his legs wildly under his chair. It was borderline scary, how excited he was to have a guest in his home. His disgusting, likely roach-infested home.

"Right," Reina said, gaze softening this time as she looked at the boy. "Let's. First, tell me, how much do you know about seals?"

"Uhhh... nothing?"

"Okay." Reina sighed. "That's fine. Typical, really."

This couldn't be that bad. She'd taught Haku how to  _read_ , after all. At least she'd had some experience in tutoring children. How hard could it be?

 _That's what I get for asking that,_  she realized, a few hours later in the day. It appeared Naruto's mind was as much of a mess as his apartment was. Worse, perhaps.

"I still don't get it," Naruto whined, throwing his brush down. Ink splattered the table, whose surface was already busy soaking up the black stains the boy had just made five minutes earlier.

It was a struggle not to groan audibly in front of the boy. She'd tried. Really, she had. Though she'd run the risk of changing the story, it wasn't like she'd get away with half-assing it under Kakashi's watchful eye. Yet still, even with her putting in some actual effort, almost an hour had passed and Naruto'd truly seemed to retain nothing.

Reina had explained it to to him just as Kushina had to her, starting with how to push energy into each of the strokes for the seal writing. She'd then walked through the difference between the energy types best used for different seals. After that, she'd even had him write a few practice seals, where he'd managed to mess up almost every other stroke. When she'd excused herself to his horror show of a bathroom, he'd gone ahead and funneled so much excess chakra into one of his seals that it caused a small explosion.

She had literally never seen that happen before. Ever. In her life. How was it even _possible_?

Naruto had been unharmed, luckily, but the he'd managed to destroy some of his already sparse furniture. Now they were short half a chair, and no progress had been made.

"Am I just bad at teaching?" Reina wondered quietly, her hands tangled in her hair as she tried to discern the latest seal Naruto had handed her. He was grinning again, confident that he had finally gotten this one right. The whiskers etched into his face twitching with excitement, as if taunting her.

She'd been staring at those stupid whiskers, willing the Kyuubi to just jump out on one of its killing sprees and end her misery now, when the realization finally hit her.

 _The Kyuubi._ Of course.

Naruto had a lot of Kyuubi chakra. And from what she knew of the Kyuubi, Kurama showcased abilities that were reminiscent of Yang release more than Yin. Perhaps that was the core of Naruto's sealing problems...

"Naruto?" she asked, "do you know what the difference between physical energy and spiritual energy feels like?"

Naruto blinked. "No?"

Sealing, in many ways, was more of a science than an art. To Reina it reminded her of chemistry, as the most important factor was balancing the proportions of ingredients. In chemistry if you poured in the wrong amount of one substance, the atoms wouldn't break down as they should and the entire thing would be off. Reactions that were supposed to occur, wouldn't.

Though that had been her best subject in school, in this world existed an added element that her classes hadn't covered.

Chakra.

When Kushina had first taught her the art of seal writing, she'd been overwhelmed by that singular aspect. Everything, including the ink and scroll, had to be infused with chakra, but the Uzumaki style of sealing had especially required a proprietary balance of spiritual and physical energy. These same elements had to be pulsed from the hand of the writer, and into the brush as well.

The feeling of chakra flowing through her into a foreign object had been terrifying at first, like the brushing of bristles over her fingertips, but now it was as commonplace and comfortable to Reina as anything else she did in her life.

"I think you're the opposite of me," Reina said, sliding one of her own finished seals towards the boy. "you put in too much physical energy into your seals, which makes them explode. Try putting in less of the prickly-feeling one, and more of the fuzzy one."

Reina could remember her first lessons, when Kushina had tried to teach her the Uzumaki's enclosing seal. Back then, she'd remembered they were similar to the ones they'd used during the chunin exams to seal the instructors during the series, but just a little more advanced. Apparently, the way the Uzumakis did it, you needed far less chakra to enclose necessary items. Though it was a little more advanced than the other things Kushina'd been teaching her, there was no doubt that the enclosing seal was a useful tool to have. They could be used to seal weapons, jutsu... even people. It wasn't a skill Reina was willing to let pass her by.

Her problem then, however, had been that she'd often pulsed far too much spiritual energy into them. She'd favored them by nature. Spiritual energy had always given her a cold, fuzzy feeling, whereas physical energy always garnered a warm but prickly sensation.

"Oh, um, okay... The fuzzy one, right?" Naruto said, putting his hand on the seal.

She watched closely as the boy tried to funnel his chakra into the seal.

"Remember, keep it balanced," she reminded him. "it's no good if you're just channeling the physical energy."

"I'm trying," Naruto said, "I... I don't know! I can't find the fuzzy one!" the boy looked visibly upset now, and Reina could see a tantrum forming in the distant horizon.

Still, that was strange that he had such trouble with this, even after having the problem pointed out. Perhaps he had too high a proportion of physical energy thanks to the Kyuubi, and it just overshadowed all the others. She'd have to ask Hiruzen or Shikaku about it later.

"Alright, why don't we just do that next time. For now, let's try something else." Reina said, pulling out a blank scroll. She began to scrawl a few indecipherable lines of text with her brush, before her strokes started descending into great, arcing lines that doubled back and over each other. Naruto's eyes widened as he watched her draw out the seal far neater than the scribbling he'd been doing herself.

Once she was done, the flow of chakra through the materials was soft, almost invisible, molding to the characters she was writing with ease.

"Gimme," she said, gesturing for Naruto to hand her the spoon siting on the counter. Naruto jumped up, throwing her the silverware, which she caught before placing it on the seal.

Within seconds, it  _poof_ 'd away, bringing a satisfied smile to Reina's face. She closed up the scroll and handed it to Naruto.

"Study this enclosing seal," Reina said, "and try to have it copied by the time I'm back next week. The more specific instructions for the strokes are in that booklet I gave you. We'll practice channelling again next time too; I think once you have the right balance of energies to work an enclosing seal, you'll be good to go for the others."

Naruto's eyes widened as he clutched the scroll to his chest. "You're coming back?"

"Unfortunately, yeah," Reina sighed, getting up from her chair. She glanced out the window to see the sun was already setting. God, she'd been in here way too long. She'd need to take a very long bath to wash off the stench of this apartment once she got back to Shikaku's.

"O-okay!" Naruto practically shouted, waving goodbye as Reina rushed out the door. "See you next week, then!"

Reina was already halfway down the stairs by the time he'd said that. She stopped in her tracks, however, when she saw who was waiting for her at the bottom of them.

"We need to talk." Shisui said.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up since some of you guys were wondering about ages after the time skip. I've been going off what I assume is canon, according to my research at least:
> 
> This chapter is set around 6 years before the start of the original series, and Reina and Shisui are both 14 going on 15 right now.
> 
> To get everyone's else's age this chapter, you can just subtract 6 from their age at the start of the original series. For example, Kakashi was 27 in the original, so he's 21 now.
> 
> Feel free to message me or comment if you're confused about any of this; if need be I'll address it again in the notes if it's still unclear!


	15. A Little Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nobody said there would be cats.

When she'd first woken up to this world she'd found many things surreal; one of the most significant being how easily people jumped from rooftop to rooftop without a care in the world. Gravity had been a more instinctive concern in her old world.

After all these years now, she didn't even bother to look down as she hopped over the ledge of the soba restaurant she'd been casing earlier that day, onto the roof of a tea shop a dozen feet over. Eventually, though, she would need to steady her focus to keep up with Shisui's agitated steps.

"Uh..." she said once they'd arrived in a grassy clearing and a set of familiar wooden posts came into view, "You wanted to talk... here?"

After what Kakashi had told her, the last thing she'd expected was for Shisui to be initiating contact. She especially wasn't expecting him to lead her all the way to the Third Training Ground to do so.

"It was the only one not booked right now," Shisui muttered, standing behind one of the wooden posts, his hand forming a fist atop its apex.

"Oh. I see." Reina watched him clench and unclench that same fist a few more times as she waited for him to say his piece. They stood there awkwardly for several more moments, Shisui's chin pulling towards his chest as he faced the ground.

It became clear that the boy wasn't actually going to be able to process his emotions into coherent sentences anytime soon.

"Hm," Reina started to turn back towards the direction they'd come. "maybe we should do this another time. Shikaku's going to wonder where I am."

That was when she felt a sudden pressure on her elbow, and the force of being tugged back.

"Hey—?" She looked back to see Shisui, his hand gripping the base of her elbow. A rage that struggled to find words filled his eyes. She watched as his mouth opened and closed, trying to articulate his thoughts, before he finally settled on his next phrase.

"I saw you die." he said slowly, before repeating, "I  _saw_  you die."

A breeze passed between them as she shook his hand off, Reina turning a frown at his words.

"...What do you mean, you  _saw_? Last I remembered, your face was in the dirt."

It'd been seven years, but the memory was still clear; Shisui screaming, the enemy slamming his face down into the ground as she was propelled off the side of a mountain and sent hurtling down a river. It'd be hard to forget one of her closest brushes with (a second) death.

"I managed to slip out of their grasp at the last second. That's how I even made it out alive. I activated my Sharingan and took them out," he paused, "but not before I saw you go down. And the explosion..."

A part of her was startled to realize this might've been part of what Kakashi had been referencing. From an outsider, it must've sounded like she'd just ditched her teammate to die in the heat of battle, and cared so little about his wellbeing that she never bothered to see if he'd lived through it all.

No wonder he was mad.

"So then,  _how are you here_?" Shisui continued.

"I didn't... I was..." Reina started, a little off-put by Shisui's hostile tone. "I mean, obviously I didn't die."

"I know. I'm asking how!" Shisui exclaimed. "I just... I don't... None of this makes sense. And how'd you know what the Kyuubi looked like?" he demanded, changing subjects more rapidly than she could follow. "You weren't even here when that happened."

He was referring to her genjutsu from the other day. Strangely, others hadn't yet brought up that question. Perhaps it was because he'd seen the level of detail with his own two eyes. Man, sometimes she wished she wasn't so good at genjutsu.

Just kidding. Her airtight chakra control was her pride and joy.

"...I, um," Reina fidgeted, "well, what happened was, there was this one time in Kiri... I met a traveler that had been in Konoha that day. He described it in reallllly incredible detail, so..."

Shisui stared at her. "I don't believe you."

"Well, I can't exactly prove it to you—" Reina stopped. Now that she'd honed her shinobi senses more finely, she could see the split second between the lightening of his iris, the burst of red from black, as the Sharingan took form in his eyes. "—Are you serious?! Oh, come on!"

Not this again.

"This way, I'll be able to tell if you're lying," Shisui warned. "now, how did you know?"

"Okay, fine. I saw an illustration of the Kyuubi in a story," Reina rolled her eyes. It wasn't even a lie; she'd seen it in a story. Just not one from this lifetime, but he didn't need to know that detail.

The tension in his shoulders eased, but his gaze stayed red even as he lowered it to the ground.

"I see," he muttered.

"So do you trust me now?"

"Trust you?" Shisui scoffed. "I don't believe you, Reina. You really think trust is still on the table?"

"...Uhh—"

"A week ago you showed up out of nowhere after  _seven years,_  impersonating the head of the Analysis Team, actively  _fighting_  me and Shikaku, and now you're acting like this is some joke? Like this isn't a big deal?" Shisui snapped. "Well it is! It's a really big deal!"

"What do you want from me?" Reina snapped back. "an apology? Fine, I'm sorry, okay? What else can I say?"

"Look, I'm just trying to understand. I  _saw_  you die!" Shisui yelled, taking a step forward.

In her defense, how many people in this series actually  _died_  from falling off a cliff?

Well, besides  _him_ , later on.

Still. He should know better.

"Well maybe you should've thought of that," Reina seethed, gesturing wildly with her hands to emphasize her point, "before you ratted me out to Shikaku! It would've been easier to come back if my own teammate hadn't decided to to out me as a  _nutter_."

" _Reina_." he hissed. "I never called you that."

"You  _basically_  did _,_ " she hissed back. "but hey, nobody would've accused  _you_  of lying. Such a golden boy, you couldn't do anything wrong if you tried, could you?"

She felt like they were two stray dogs circling each other, growling lowly as they went for the bone.

It was stupid. And therefore consistent with her behavior thus far.

"Alright, I'm going to stop you two right there," a sudden voice had Reina snapping her head in the direction to her left.

Imagine her surprise when she found herself face-to-face with Iruka Umino, of all people.

_Well. This is quite the ambush._

"Hey, Reina," he said, a light smile on his face. He too, had grown, jaw squared and hair tidied, pulled back behind a standard Konoha forehead protector. He wasn't quite yet the man she'd known him as in the series, when he came to mentor Naruto later on, but he was definitely getting there. And certainly much older than she'd last seen him. "I don't think now is the time to be arguing like this."

"Oh great," Reina muttered, dropping her hands to her sides. His presence somehow both deflated her anger and upped her defenses. "so we're going to gang up on me now?"

"Iruka, stay out of this." Shisui said, turning to their old teammate, "I thought you said you'd come by later."

"Yeah, well, I figured I'd need to mediate this," Iruka sighed. "you sounded pretty mad about it when you told me this morning..."

Reina fumed. "Why is everyone always mad at me all the time? I am  _trying my best_."

Shisui spun to face her. "Why wouldn't we be mad? We thought you were _dead._ We had a funeral and everything!"

"Well, I don't see Iruka bitching about it!"

"You didn't even tell him you were back! I had to let him know, and it's been a _week_." he snapped.

"C'mon, Shisui," Iruka cut in. Literally. He stood between the two now, though the way they'd been standing meant he had little space to say his piece. "aren't we looking at this all wrong? We should be celebrating. Reina's _alive,_ " he emphasized. "after all these years..."

Reina watched in light horror as the tears rushed forth from the boy's eyes.

"Oh no," she said hurriedly, hovering her hands up in the air over his face. For what reason, she didn't know. It wasn't exactly helping. "don't cry..."

This was growing very, very, awkward. And it hadn't really started out that great in the first place.

"Iruka," Shisui's voice grew sympathetic.

"Sor... sorry," Iruka said, wiping at his face, "I promised myself I wouldn't cry, but... that year it was you... then my parents..."

An long silence settled between them as Iruka sniffled away, wiping at his tears with the back of his hand.

Reina wanted to run. But nobody could outrun  _Shisui no shunshin_ anyways. It'd be an exercise in futility if she tried.

"You good?" Shisui asked, once the sniffling had died down five minutes later. Reina was leaned against the back of one of the wooden posts, trying not to loll her head back as she sighed against it.

"Yeah," Iruka sniffled with a sheepish smile, "sorry guys. I thought I could keep my cool, but..."

"It's fine," Reina said glumly. "And... sorry about your parents, by the way."

"Thanks..." Iruka glanced at Shisui, who almost rolled his eyes. "isn't this nice? All of us getting along?"

"Not the time, Iruka." he replied dryly.

 _Wow,_  Reina thought. He used to be so nice to her. Now the old Shisui was a world apart from the one standing in front of her.

"Hey," Iruka said suddenly, "remember when we were kids? How your nickname was Crazy Eyes?"

Shisui finally cracked a smile. "Oh yeah. You used to want to murder Kasuga whenever he called you that."

"Yeah, well, shut up," Reina murmured. A cold silence passed between them as Iruka continued to stare down at the floor.

"We missed you, Reina," Iruka said quietly. "it's been too long."

"...Thanks," Reina said mildly.

They sat in silence, each of them leaning against a different post; except for Shisui, who leaned standing against the rightmost one, his arms crossed. They existed in the quiet space for a few more minutes, watching the sun dip low behind the tree line as evening began.

When she finally started to tire of the silence, Reina decided to voice something she'd noticed earlier. "You're not using the tanto sheathe I gave you."

Shisui didn't make any move that he'd heard her, except for his reply.

"It was child-sized, Reina. I'm not a child anymore."

"Oh."

A pause. "...You're planning on leaving again, aren't you?" Shisui said quietly.

There was really no point in lying. "Yeah." Reina shrugged. "I just... think it's for the best. I don't know if it'll be months or years, but once I finish up my end of the bargain with the Hokage, I'm out of here." she chuckled, "I actually found out I was born there, you know. Maybe I'm just meant to live and die there too." The death part certainly wouldn't be that unlikely, especially if she went back to traveling with Zabuza.

"But Reina—" Iruka started to protest, before Shisui uncrossed his arms and took a step forward.

"Iruka's parents died." Shisui paused. "In the Kyuubi attack."

Reina froze.

"Shisui," Iruka scolded.

"I knew it. You had no idea, did you?" Shisui shook his head. "You didn't even bother to ask about everything that's happened while you were gone."

"O-oh," Reina said, hesitating. It suddenly occurred to her that he was right; she hadn't bothered to ask them anything about them. "...I, you're right. Um, what about... did your dad get better?"

"He died right after you left."

A part of her always wondered if she'd only been barely socialized enough to hold normal conversation, let alone deep discussions regarding dead parents. This was kind of her worst nightmare.

"Reina," Iruka said with urge, "don't feel bad, you didn't know—"

"I'm not trying to make her feel bad," Shisui said. "I just thought she should know. He died right while we were out in Kiri, the very place where he'd lost the use of his leg, and where his health started declining. Once we got word, Shikaku said we should go back instead of look for your body, so I could be there when they bury my father." he paused, and Reina felt her back sliding down against the wooden post, trying to make herself as small as possible. "It's one of my biggest regrets, letting us go without finding you first. But you have to understand... I lost two people in one month. And I lost them both because of Kiri. Or, so I thought."

"Oh, Shisui..." Reina's shoulders fell. "I'm sorry." So that's why they'd never come looking for her.

Iruka got up, walking over to tenderly pat Shisui on the shoulder. Reina sat on the ground still, not daring to stand with them. Instead, she strained her own neck to meet their gazes.

"I blamed myself for years," Shisui said quietly, "if I'd told my dad not to go on that mission, or if I'd been faster that day on the cliff... I'd think about it everyday. I'd see the both of you in my dreams. But all this time, you were just happy to forget us."

"Shisui," Iruka said, "Reina's not like that. You and I both know she had her reasons; even if we can't understand them, we have to respect them."

_No, he really didn't. But Iruka was just kind that way._

A moment passed before Shisui nodded slowly. "I guess," he took in a sharp breath, "it's just time I stopped expecting so much from you. I guess... I guess you're just not the person I thought you were. And I'm tired of being disappointed, you know?"

"...Oh," Reina said. It felt cold, all of a sudden. Were Konoha springs always this cold? She couldn't remember. Kiri had been cold as well, but a damp kind, not the dry type like Konoha.

"But I'll get over this," Shisui continued quietly, gaze caught on the floor again, "it'll take time, and things might not be the same once I do... but... it'll pass."

Iruka blinked in surprise. "Wait, are you saying you forgive her?" his face broke into a small smile.

"No," Shisui replied dryly. "But... I think, after some time, after I've had some time to get used to the idea... and over everything that happened... I'd...still want to be friends."

"What?" Reina blinked. Iruka's face broke out into a full-on grin.

"You're still my old teammate," Shisui said softly, "my first rival. That means something to me, you know?" he hesitated, "...What about you?"

"Yeah, I mean," Reina said, ducking her head, "I guess."

"Alright," Shisui nodded. "...friends, then..."

Iruka grinned, giving Shisui another hefty pat on the shoulder. "Friends!" he beamed. "Nothing can keep Team Shikaku apart for long!"

When she'd first woken up to this world, she'd found many things surreal. She was surrounded by constant reminders of the fact that this was all just a story, a fantastical place filled with undesirable powers, and dangers sliding on a scale she couldn't even begin to fathom. Even the friendships seemed exaggerated; the emphasis on bonds ran so deep here compared to what she'd remembered from her past life. Or perhaps it had existed in her world, and was just something she herself had never experienced.

Until now.

Real or not, things were going to look up for her, she could tell. Maybe not immediately... but sometime.

She had time.

 

* * *

 

The next few months of her life in Konoha were, in short, just a series of ill-planned misadventures. Most of them her own doing.

But some of them the doing of others.

She'd been walking home from the market when a figure in her path made her stop in the street.

Danzo.

He held up a letter in his bandaged hand.

"Hello, Reina," he said in that low, worn voice, "it's been a while. Do you know what this is?"

"Uh yeah," Reina squinted, "it's a letter. I can see, you know, I have eyes."

Her eyes widened.

_Unless he's here to take them? No, that's stupid, you're not an Uchiha, what does he want with your gross, normal eyes?_

"Yes. But it's not  _what_  it is that interests me, but  _whose_  it is that does," Danzo continued.

"Whose it is?"

"Yours."

"...Oh shit," Reina realized. She'd been sending a few of them these last few weeks, but through notoriously backhanded mail channels.

Why? Because the letters were going to Zabuza in Kiri, filled with the small coins needed to chip away at her debt. She hadn't wanted to risk anyone knowing, so she hadn't sent it through the traditional postal services of Konoha. She certainly hadn't expected it to fall into the hands of one Danzo Shimura.

Just her luck.

"You've been trying to send money out of the village," Danzo said casually, as if he were talking about the weather, or a particularly interesting rock. "at an alarming frequency as of late. And to Kiri, of all places. Is there something we should know about?"

"Uh, well, I kind of owe someone money in Kiri." as she said those words, she badly wished she could rephrase them; they sounded  _quite_ sketchy, especially coming from someone who was still technically on probation with the village.

"Like, not like, anyone dangerous. I'm not sending money to like, someone dangerous that you should be worried about," Reina tried to fix, "like, he's totally safe. Safe guy."

"Why only send 50 ryo, then?"

She understood the confusion, as that was about the equivalent of the amount you could get half a pencil for in any part of the continent.

"Uh, well. Honestly, it's all I could afford to send. Haha." It was true, as she had been sending most of the stipend she'd gotten from teaching Naruto seals to Zabuza the last few months, and it still had barely made a dent in what she'd owed the shark-toothed man. And one doesn't simply get away with owing that wayward swordsman money. She'd seen the results of that firsthand.

If she ever wanted to be able to set foot back in Kiri alive, she'd need to pay this debt off, and fast.

"I see." Danzo stepped forward, and Reina took an unconscious step back. "Hmm. Do you remember a few months ago, when you got into that debacle with Shikaku? I saw his report on it."

"Yes." Reina said without a hint of mirth, "I was there. How could I forget him and Shisui wiping the floor with my ass?"

"Yes, well. You know, water clone jutsus are technically a C-rank jutsu. And a rare one at that, at least in Konoha."

"That's... good, I guess."

"You're capable of C-rank jutsu, as well as high-level genjutsu, yet for some reason you're still a genin," Danzo continued, "interesting."

"...Is it?" Reina asked. If anything, she should've been able to master the water clone jutsu even sooner, considering how much Zabuza had favored the technique. She'd already seen him go through the seals so many times she'd practically memorized them in her sleep. "Is it... interesting?"

"And despite your skill level, due to your probationary period, it must be difficult to get by without a salary."

"Yeah, so if you're satisfied with my loyalty to Konoha by now, it'd be nice if you convinced the Hokage go back to being a shinobi, that'd be great," Reina said. She didn't really think there'd come a day when she'd ask to go back to the job. But the stipend she'd been getting each month for teaching Naruto seals wasn't very large, especially since she funneled a lot of it towards her debts; had it not been for Shikaku's generosity, she would have surely been out on the streets by now.

Then again, the genin salary wasn't  _that_  much better.

"I mean, there isn't really a lot of damage I could do moving furniture or chasing around cats anyways, is there?" Reina continued, "It's probably safe the same, nothing'll happen to the village if you let me go back to the shinobi life."

Danzo lifted his chin. "Why go back to being a genin when you could make more as a chunin?"

"Well, I'm not a chunin, so that doesn't make sense either."

"It seems you aren't taking the hint. What I mean is this: I am going to sign you up to take the chunin exams later this year."

Reina  _really_  hated talking to this guy.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. You see, after the war ended, we had an influx in the population," Danzo explained, "which I'm sure you noticed."

"Yeah... You should really invest in having more than the two playgrounds in the village."

"Perhaps. As a result of this, we're anticipating a saturation in the genin population, without enough jounin to help mentor them. There's a push now, to fill the higher ranks as soon as possible to mitigate this."

"Oh," Reina said. She should've known this was political. This was Danzo, after all.

"The Hokage has tasked me with recruiting a pool worthy of showcasing our power to other villages." Danzo paused. "It is an honor that I do not take lightly. And since this is my first year choosing candidates, I want this one to be...  _special_."

"Special how?"

"In that it will showcase what we, as a village, _uniquely_  have to offer. I'm not sure if you heard, but this exam will take place on the exact date of the seventh anniversary of the Kyuubi attack this year. We need a show of our best. The powers within this village are shifting, and the strength we display during the test to other villages will help keep them in line as we deal with these changes."

"Changes?"

"That will be clear in due time." he chuckled, "I suppose I shouldn't have expected a child such as yourself to realize, even if she is a shinobi."

"...Right."

It didn't matter, since she totally already knew what he was talking about.

"I think our goals align here. You want to be able to send your money to your mysterious friends in Kiri, and I want more rare, talented clan children at the exams this year."

Reina wondered how much he knew about her clan. If he did, surely he knew her clan wasn't exactly of the most...  _high-quality_  genetic pool. Then again, who could say what Danzo did or didn't know at this point. Most likely, he already knew everything and more.

She could use the money, but Reina'd been so adverse to the idea of becoming chunin for so long... Then again, Danzo was right. By now her skills were well above genin level, and chunin were given more freedom on which missions to take anyways, so it's not like she couldn't refuse the more dangerous-sounding ones. Plus, there was no more war to worry about.

"Wait," Reina realized, "there's a problem. I don't have a team."

"I'm sure you'll figure something out. There's still time to form your own team of genins before entries for the exam close." Danzo clicked his tongue. "And worst comes to worst... the chunin exams  _have_  been taken alone in the past. Just last year, in fact. What a show that could be. A special year indeed."

While that was creepily phrased, it wasn't such a bad idea. She usually preferred doing things alone, after all.

"Fine," Reina said, "sign me up."

 

* * *

 

She stared at the boy from across the field as he took kunai after kunai and hurled them towards his goal. He'd peppered the trees with targets at strange, unreachable angles; yet he managed bullseyes on all of them. Typical.

"What do you want?" Shisui asked, after she'd been watching for over ten minutes without a word. They were in the forest right past the Uchiha district, the only place she could regularly find Shisui when it came to his usual training time.

Shisui hadn't asked to see her since their encounter at the Third Training Ground, though she was aware he was definitely avoiding her. Despite claiming wanting to be friends again someday, it seemed he still wanted some distance in the meantime.

She'd usually be happy to oblige, but unfortunately, she needed his help.

"Can't an old teammate just like, check up?" she asked innocently, before digging into her bag. "By the way, your Aunt Uruchi stopped me on the way here to give you this again."

Shisui smiled at the bag of senbei Reina pulled out. "No way."

Reina made a face. "It's the sweet ones."

"The best kind, you mean."

"Agree to disagree."

His hand reached out, hesitant for a moment before he took the bag from her hands. "...Thanks." he murmured, before setting the treats down to return to his training.

Even after a month had passed, their relationship was still a bit tense; uncomfortably so at times. The closeness they'd once had between them was stifled by Shisui's resentments towards her. It would probably be a while before their relationship went back to the way it was, if it ever even did.

Still, she knew him, and he wasn't the type to turn down a request to help a friend in need. Even a questionable friend like Reina.

So there was no reason, really, for her to be so hesitant.

She should just ask him.

She was  _going_  to ask him.

He reached for his pouch and was already throwing another kunai a second later. She leaned in, opening her mouth to ask, but he'd pulled back his arm again for another throw, concentration masking his features.

She decided to wait until he'd flung it at the target, before leaning in again to ask.

He flung again, quicker than she'd expect, and decided to wait until his next throw to ask.

This repeated five more times before Shisui finally turned to face Reina.

"Yes?" Shisui asked.

"What?"

"You look like you want to ask me something."

 _Ask him now,_  she thought.

"Uh, no."

 _Goddammit!_  Why was she so stubborn?

"Really?" Shisui said dryly. "Nothing, not at all?"

Just ask him!

"...No."

He gave her a level look. "You know, you've come by like, three times in the last week to watch me practice, for absolutely no reason at all."

"...I like seeing you hit the trees?"

He rolled his eyes. "Look, Shikaku already told me you might be taking the chunin exams in a few months."

"What? He did?"  _Already?_ She'd only mentioned it to him a few weeks ago. How often did they meet up?

"Yeah. And he said you'd probably come by and ask for pointers soon, seeing as I'd already taken the exam."

"...Great."

He clicked his tongue. "So, is there anything you want to ask me?"

"No." Damn it.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

_Damn it!_

"...C'mon, Reina," Shisui sighed. "I'm pulling teeth, here. Just ask, I promise I won't bite."

"Fine, fine." she took a deep breath before continuing, "I'm taking the chunin exams. And even worse, I'm taking it alone, so I'd really like your help in training for it. Happy?"

"You're taking it alone?" Shisui finally turned to face her, kunai swinging from his pointer finger. "That's a little... ambitious."

"I already asked Iruka yesterday, but he doesn't want to take the exam yet," Reina muttered dejectedly. "apparently he made a pact to take it with his other academy teacher-hopeful friends in a few years. Ugh. I thought we were done with cliques."

"There aren't any openings on any other teams?"

"Not this last-minute. Plus, you know me, I'm not..." she stared down at the grassy floor. "I'm not great at teams."

"I'll say," he said. Ugh. "and well, it's been a while since I had to take it, and I can't say I have any experience taking the exam alone myself, but..." he looked thoughtful as he paused before continuing, "I think I know someone that might be able to help, actually."

 

* * *

 

 _Of course_  this was who he'd meant. She felt so stupid for having not seen it coming.

"Hey," Shisui smiled, "Itachi, I'd like you to meet Reina. Reina, this is my friend Itachi."

"Hi," Reina said dryly, "we've met."

"What?!" Shisui exclaimed.

"Yes. Hello again." Itachi said. He was maybe 11 years old right now, but he spoke with the politeness of a full grown adult. His voice was surprisingly soft.

"Um, it's a long story," Reina said. "I don't really feel like right now is the time to relay the story."

"No, you have to tell me." Shisui said, eyes widening, "Itachi  _never_  makes friends. How is it you two have already known each other?"

"It's not friendship, per se," Reina sighed.

"In truth, it was a very unfortunate meeting," Itachi agreed. "thanks to it, there was a time where my parents had felt I was, in few words... mentally unwell."

Would they'd have been wrong? Reina wondered. The instinct might've been on point, considering their son did kill them in cold blood later on. Hell, they'd probably all look back on that moment and think,  _ah, of course. That was when it all started!_

If anything, they should be thanking her for providing the first red flag.

"Yeah, one of you is definitely filling me in later. But back to my point. If you have any questions about tips on taking the exam," Shisui said, jerking his thumb at the boy. "he's probably your best bet. Itachi just made chunin last year. One of the youngest in history to pass, and all on his own, too."

Reina glared at the boy.

"Well, I bet it's not as hard as it sounds," she challenged, "in fact, it's probably  _easier_  without a team holding you back."

"Wow, some things never change," Shisui muttered. "are you really trying to compete with an 11 year old right now?"

"...Maybe."

"I'm very busy nowadays," Itachi said, turning to Reina, "but I will do this favor out of friendship to Shisui. We will train here Saturday mornings at dawn. Do not be late."

"Uh, wait," Reina said, but the boy had already walked off.

Saturday morning came, and Reina found herself at Shisui's usual haunt, the training grounds past the Uchiha property, but this time with Itachi in tow.

In truth, she'd never thought there could be a more hardass instructor than Shikaku. She was wrong.

"You're not paying enough attention to your flank," Itachi said, suddenly coming up on her right with a kunai in hand.

"Whoa!" she yelped, ducking just in time. "Well, don't you think this is a little overkill?"

Between Shisui and Itachi they had created not one, not two, but eight water and shadow clones. Reina's jaw had dropped when she'd seen Shisui pulling up the water seals, who shrugged.

"You're not the only one that paid attention in Kiri," he grinned.

"Focus," Itachi's voice snapped her attention back to reality, as another one of his clones darted from her left. "during this test you'll be alone, with no one to watch your back," Itachi said, the sharp edge of his kunai meeting one of Reina's own, "and in the second part of the exams, you will be going up against not one, but several teams of well-coordinated efforts. At this rate, are you sure you'll be able to handle them on your own?"

Reina's eyes narrowed. "Watch me." she pulled up her own seal, backing towards the river before quickly forming her own water clone. "I don't need a team!" the clone took shape in front of her, kunai already at the ready.

"Well, it's still two against eight," one of Shisui's clones reminded, casually slicing his tanto through the air where Reina's neck had been. She'd barely ducked in time, that turd.

"Is it two?" Reina replied dryly, "or three?"

"Wha—" Shisui's clone burst into a shower of liquid peppering the floor, Reina's third water clone appearing from behind him with a triumphant smile.

"Yesss," the clone raised her arms, "finally. Sweet victory."

_Pop._

Reina stared, confused, as her last clone also reverted back into a puddle of water.

"Uh... what?" she said, before forming the seal again. Her other clone stared on, curious. "What's going on?"

"You're most likely out of chakra," Itachi said, his shadow clones bursting as he walked up to Reina. "that jutsu must have taken its toll on your reserves."

Reina frowned, shaking her head. "I have pretty good chakra control, so just three clones should've been fine..."

"Maybe your reserves aren't good?" Shisui mused, also coming up after having released all his jutsu, "They did run out pretty fast though, especially if you've used the technique before."

"I definitely have." she'd been practicing a lot, actually, since Shikaku had defeated her last one. It'd been her first time trying to use a third one today, but she'd been confident enough to think she could've gone up to even a fourth or a fifth, with her level of chakra control. So why...?

"If you've got an issue with chakra that can't be solved for the exams, perhaps you should postpone until next year," Itachi said.

"Or you could just focus more on your taijutsu," Shisui added, "then you wouldn't really need chakra anyways."

"Yeah," Reina sighed, "maybe you guys are right..."

Their words weren't doing much to relieve her worries, however. Whatever was going on, it wasn't a good sign.

_"C-caw!"_

Their heads shot up as a bird slowly descended towards the group, landing softly on Shisui's shoulder.

Reina watched as he started murmuring to the bird.

"Uh, I'm not the only one seeing this, am I?" Reina asked.

"That's his summon," Itachi explained, "it's relaying some sort of message."

"Oh," Reina said as Shisui turned back towards them.

"Itachi, your mom wants you back for supper soon."

Reina looked up to the sky.  _Is it really already dinner time?_

It was insane how much of a slave driver little Itachi was. They had literally trained from dusk till dawn. Unlike Reina, it seemed he had earned his title as a prodigy through both talent _and_  discipline.

Reina glanced over at Shisui's shoulder, where his crow was still perched.

"That's your summon?" Reina said.

"Yeah," Shisui grinned, gesturing his thumb at the creature. "isn't he pretty?"

"Uh, sure." Reina shrugged, "But actually, I was wondering... can I borrow him? Just for a bit?"

"...For what?" Shisui's tone dripped with suspicion. Reina remembered the good old days when he actually trusted her with things.

"Nothing crazy. I just need him to deliver some mail."

"Oh. Uh, he's not really the... delivery type. He's kind of picky." Shisui said, right before his bird slammed its beak against his neck. "Ow! Sorry."

"Seriously?" Reina said glumly. "I've been trying to send money to this guy I owe, but Dan—I mean,  _someone_  keeps intercepting me. I thought a summon might have a better chance of getting it there safely..."

"Why not just get your own summon?" Itachi suggested.

"It seems like a lot of work, and I don't know of any animals to contract with. Plus, it takes up a lot of chakra, I've heard." And she was starting to suspect she didn't really have as much control over her reserves as she'd thought.

"Summons are great," Shisui said, "my crows have only ever been helpful. Almost saved my life a few times, even. And if you get a small one with less experience, those barely take up any chakra to use."

"It's true," Itachi said. "if you need to send messages or safekeep an object, the right summon can easily do that for you."

"Plus, I bet it'd be nice to have one for your upcoming exams. It'd give you a competitive edge, that's for sure." Shisui added.

"Um, I mean, those are all good points..." Reina said, "but aren't they kind of hard to get?"

Shisui shrugged. "I didn't have much trouble. Then again, it's easier if you know someone that can help you out. If you really want, I can introduce you to a few crows."

Reina crinkled her nose. "I'm good, thanks."

"What? Why not?"

"I'm not a big bird person."

"Crows are great!" Shisui protested. The crow on his shoulder cocked his head, as if trying to affirm his point. "If you want to get a message across a long distance, almost nothing else is faster."

"They're literally called  _murders_  when they travel in packs," Reina raised her hands defensively, eyeing the creature warily, "I'm not letting one know where I live."

"That's not... You know what, forget it," Shisui sighed, leaning back onto the bark of a nearby tree. "crows are more of a Uchiha thing, anyways. What kind of animal were you thinking of, then?"

"It's a good question. I don't really know yet," Reina shrugged. "I'll just have to wait for inspiration to come to me, I guess."

And it did, a few weeks later.

 

* * *

 

"No." Reina said firmly.

"It would not be that troubling for you," Itachi argued back. "according to Shisui, you are not very busy as of late, outside of training. And Sasuke has been looking for this cat for weeks."

"I don't... I'm not spending the day helping your brother look for a  _cat,_ especially not to harass it for its print."

"I would go myself, but I have a mission. I had initially asked Shisui to accompany him, but he is no longer free as well."

"What's that have to do with me, then?" Reina demanded.

"He said you would take Sasuke in his place, since you are apparently, 'still on thin ice with him'."

Shisui, that punk. How dare he play the guilt card so effectively.

"...Ughhhfuhufine."

"What?"

"I said,  _fine_!" Reina snapped. "I'll take your stupid brother to get a stupid paw print."

"Thank you," Itachi sighed, "I fear that Sasuke's been taking this game a bit too... seriously, lately. It's my own fault, I'd first assigned these missions as ways to distract him and help him grow. I did not think it would go this far. I would feel much more comfortable if there was another shinobi nearby if things went wrong."

"Well, aren't you just the doting brother," Reina said dryly, taking the book from Itachi. She stopped when she flipped through to the third page, seeing a print so large it only a fourth of it seemed to fit on the double-spread. "uh, what the fuck."

"Like I said," Itachi replied, "it's gone very far. But Shisui informs me this trip might benefit you as well. Are you still in need of a summons?"

"Uh yeah," Reina said, staring as the next page of prints. Was that a hoof? What kind of cat had  _hooves_? Was Sasuke just unable to identify the differences between animals? "they have shinobi cat summons at this place?"

"Yes, and Grandma Neko is very well-connected in that community," Itachi informed her. "she may be of assistance to you."

"Hm. Never thought of myself as much of a cat person, but guess that's better than nothing." Reina sighed, handing Itachi back the book. "Fine. I'll do it."

Sora-ku was not a pleasant place. Dilapidated buildings, a layer of dust on every surface, and a thickly smogged sky that was still easier to look at than any of the village's depressing architectural feats.

And Sasuke, apparently, was not a pleasant person to travel to this unpleasant place with.

"Why couldn't big brother Itachi come?" Sasuke whined, clutching the book of prints to his chest as they made their way over through the abandoned city.

Honestly, Reina was getting tired of how weird it was to see the main cast in person, especially this much younger. But Sasuke was especially different from his main-series counterpart, considering his character-defining thirst for revenge had yet to form. Despite his complaints, he walked in practically a skip at her side as they made their way down the path to Grandma Neko's.

Sasuke Uchiha. _Skipping._  She'd seen everything.

"He's busy," Reina shrugged, "I don't know, mission stuff?"

"He's always got missions nowadays." Sasuke sniffed, "I've never seen you before. How do you know my brother?"

"Uh, this and that," Reina said, "we met when he got trapped in my Kekkei Genkai once."

"What? You trapped him?" Sasuke exclaimed, stopping in his tracks, "Are you like enemies or something?"

"Not yet," Reina said cheerfully, "maybe someday?"

"..."

"I'm just kidding. Come along, kid. If I lose you, your brother'll throw a conniption."

They finally made their way to where Sasuke had claimed was Grandma Neko's place. As they approached the door, she found herself being stared down by a tabby spotted cat.

"Meeow, you guys can come this way," the cat spoke, because  _sure, why not_ , the door opening behind him as he lead them into the room. It smelled musty, and of cat fur. Reina was not pleased.

Grandma Neko glanced them up and down as they approached.

She was laid out on a beanbag chair, as if she couldn't be bothered to stand to greet them as they walked in. A pair of black cat ears rested upon her head, and Reina briefly wondered if the woman they were about to speak to was legally insane.

"Who're you?" Grandma Neko said, craning her neck as they approached. "You don't look like one of my regulars. Ah, but I recognize you, little Sasuke boy! You came without your brother today?"

"Yeah!" came Sasuke's high reply, running up to Grandma Neko and taking a pair of white cat ears from her gratefully.

"Are you sure it's okay to send him off alone?" Reina asked as Sasuke pulled the headband on with a gleeful look.

"Of course," Grandma Neko nodded, before her voice dropped to a whisper, "Itachi usually lets his brother go off to do his search as he ran his errands. Between you and me, most of the cats his brother has assigned him really aren't that hard to come by. There's only two that... well, I'm sure Itachi only put those in as jokes..." she laughed. "You see, Itachi's wish is to help Sasuke grow, push him to his limits, but not put him in any real danger."

"Got it," Reina said, squinting at Sasuke. "but uh, what are the cat ears for?"

"To blend in with the cats, of course!"

"I'm sorry, what?" Reina spoke slowly. "So you're saying... If he wears those cat ears, they somehow won't be able to differentiate him from their own?"

"That is correct! They also allow you understand cat speech," Grandma Neko explained.

"What? But... Some of these cats already talk!" Reina snapped, gesturing to the tabby one curled up near Grandma Neko's feet.

"This is for the ones that can't!"

"Ugh," Reina sighed, "fine, whatever. Run along now, Sasuke."

"Thanks!" Sasuke chirped, before darting out the door.

"Would you like to buy some kunai while you're waiting?" Grandma Neko said. "We have the best black market weapons around!"

"Is it really a black market if you announce it like that?" Reina muttered to herself. It was very obvious Grandma Neko heard, as she crossed her arms and  _hmmphed_.

"Well if you're not going to buy anything, you shouldn't loiter around my shop!"

"Well, maybe I don't want to hang around anyways. This place smells like used litter." Reina sighed, glancing around the room. "Actually, wait. I was wondering if you had any cats looking to sign a summoning contract here?"

Grandma Neko looked Reina up and down.

"Why, yes, I don't know why I didn't think of it before! You would be  _perfect_  for a cat summons!" she exclaimed. "In fact, I've never met another person who so truly embodies the spirit of a cat. Antisocial, passive-aggressive, bordering on hostile..."

"...Thanks." Reina mumbled, glancing around the room. "Okay, so which one? I don't have the best chakra reserves apparently, so I'd need a small, young one. I've heard those are the easiest kinds to summon, right? I can't afford anything too taxing..."

"Hm, I see. That might be a bit of a problem, then... there aren't many here like that still looking for contracts," Grandma Neko said. "but I think I  _do_  know of one. You'll have to come back another day, but I can schedule a meeting for you two."

Reina sighed. "Fine."

One more trip to Sora-ku couldn't hurt, could it?

A few days later, Reina was back in that god-awful place. She came alone this time, instead of dragging Sasuke along, thankfully. There was only so much of his duck-like babbling she could take.

As she approach the door, a very young brunette girl bounded up to answer, holding a pair of small kittens in her arms.

"Oh," the girl said, looking taken aback by Reina's appearance. Reina rolled her eyes before pushing past her into the room.

"Ah, just on time!" Grand Neko exclaimed as Reina walked in. "By the way, this is my granddaughter, Tamaki," she gestured towards the girl that'd answered the door. "Tamaki, go get Nora."

The little girl pattered away back to some room in the back, before coming back out with a small, black cat. Its green eyes shone in the light, blinking out the beams irritably.

Reina stared. "Is this it?"

"Yes," Grandma Neko said, "his name's Nora. I want you two to take some time to bond before we sign the contract, so why don't you two go into that room over there?"

Reina nodded, picking up the cat in her hands before heading into the room.

"Excuse me," Reina said, coming a half hour later, holding up the cath by the arms before shoving it towards Grandma Neko, "but this one's defective."

Grandma Neko smiled. "Whatever do you mean?"

" _It doesn't talk_ ," Reina wanted to scream. "I've been trying to get it speak to me for the past half hour, but all I've been doing is talking to  _myself_  like a mad woman!"  _That_  sure brought up some bad memories.

The cat mewled calmly, as if in response.

Was this some kind of prank? Had this old lady just placed a normal cat in front of her, knowing Reina'd be too inexperienced to realize the difference?

"Oh dear," Grandma Neko sighed. "that's such a common misconception. Not all summons have to communicate verbally with their masters, you know. The Uchiha's favored crow summons often don't."

Well, she hadn't known that for a fact, though she couldn't recall ever hearing one of them speak, now that she thought about it.

"What? But your other cats talk!" Reina gestured at the tabby cat that had led them in the other day, near Grandma Neko's feet.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean  _all_  of them do," Grandma Neko pointed out. "not even those with contracts."

"I mean, doesn't it  _help?_ " Reina said. "Honestly, I'd kinda assumed that was part of the deal."

"Well, you said you wanted one that wouldn't take up too much chakra. He requires the least chakra of the group," Grandma Neko explained. "plus, he's very diligent. Came highly recommended."

Nora purred gently, his tail swishing in the air behind him.

"...Uhhh," Reina frowned, "well, can he deliver stuff across a distance? Like say, from here to Kiri?"

"Of course!" Grandma Neko said. "Though it'll take him a little longer than the bigger cats, perhaps a week or two at most."

"Fine," Reina sighed, "I'm not really in a rush, honestly. I'll take him."

"Great!" Grandma Neko said. "Let's get your contract done, then."

"Ugh, fine," Reina muttered as they stepped into the next room.

Grandma Neko bent down as the feline mewled out a long string of sounds before she nodded and stood up.

"He says you smell of fear," she said, "he's wondering what you're so scared of."

"Are... Are you serious? How do you know that's what he asked?" Reina said, gesturing at the cat again. " _He doesn't even talk_."

"His _name_  is Nora, for the last time," Grandma Neko said. "it means stray."

Reina narrowed her eyes. "How ironic. You  _sure_  this isn't just some cat you picked up off the street?"

Nora gave another loud mewl. Grandma Neko bent down again, raising a brow as she did.

"Hm," she said, "Nora's saying there's another smell. The smell of guilt. Of shame."

"Oh, come on," Reina groaned, "can we just get to the summoning contract?"

Nora meowed.

"He wants to know, what are you feeling so guilty about?" Grandma Neko questioned. "It's important for you two to have a bond of trust before you commit to this contract, you know."

Reina blinked. "I'm not pouring my heart out to a cat."

"What affects you, now affects him, as his summon. Isn't it only fair that you share with each other your secrets?"

Reina knew exactly how these summons worked, thanks to her watching of the series, and she knew there was no such requirement.

"Yeah no, I think I'm good."

"Are you sure? I can leave." Grandma Neko said, gesturing to the door.

"Uh, no, that's alright," Reina stared down at the cat. "I'm not talking to a dumbass cat either way."

Nora ran a paw along her leg. His claws were out, so he immediately drew blood.

"Fuck!"

Despite not having his questions answered, apparently he'd given Grandma Neko some sort of signal for the go-ahead, as the next thing Reina knew, the older woman was pulling out the scrolls necessary for them to start.

A few minutes later, the contract was made and sealed.

 

* * *

 

Reina could only hope the Chunin Exams wouldn't be as grueling for her as it'd been for Team 7 in the series. She was barely a year older than they were then, though technically, she did have a lifetime on those kids. And the added years of training with Zabuza surely would help.

Still, she couldn't help but feel her shoulders shaking as she stood in front of the building that would contain the first test; the written portion.

"Are you nervous?" Itachi asked. He and Shisui had decided to see her off before the test, in consideration of her lack of teammates. She had to admit it, she was grateful to not have to stand here alone as she watched the sea of kids (her soon-to-be competition) mill into the room before her.

"No," Reina lied, "but I'm starting to regret agreeing to this."

"You'll do fine," Shisui smiled, coming up behind Itachi. "if anything, the written part will be the easiest for you."

Itachi seemed busy surveying the rest of the crowd, so Reina felt safe turning to Shisui before lowering her voice to a whisper.

"By the way, I've been meaning to say... thanks."

Shisui blinked. "For what?"

"This. I know we're not on the best terms right now, but I appreciate you helping me out with training, and getting Itachi on board too, not to mention showing up here..."

"Well," Shisui shrugged, "I remembered how jittery I was right before my exam, and I figured you'd probably be way more nervous considering you don't have a team, and your, uh... um."

"...Nuttiness?"

"That's... Not what I was going to say..."

"...Sure," Reina sighed, "but thanks, anyways."

"You should go in now," Itachi said, returning his attention to them, "it's about to start."

"Right," Reina said, walking up to the building's entrance. From the open doorway, she could see the desks laid out in neat rows, surprisingly similar to how it'd been in the series. It was probably her imagination, but the kids seated at them seemed awfully... familiar, though she was sure they'd never met before.

"Hey. Put on your game face. Don't let them see you sweat," Shisui whispered. There was a quick pat on her shoulder, then he was gone.

 _Easy for him to say,_  Reina thought morosely, before taking her first step into the classroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I originally had it planned for the chunin exams to both start and finish this chapter but then this goddamn cat arc took so long lmao
> 
> Sorry for the late update! I've been trying to post by the end of every month, but work has been kicking my ass lately lol. I barely had time to edit what is officially the longest chapter in this series thus far, so please bear with it; I'll probably come back and tweak it later. Also, from now on I'll probably just update mid-monthly to be consistent.


	16. Thick Remorse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something strange is afoot; and of course, Reina is somehow caught up in it.

The written exam wasn't all that hard, she was surprised to say. Without Ibiki Morino to psychologically terrorize them, it was just like taking a regular, if not slightly harder-than-average test for someone at her level. Of course, the cheating was still a factor here, so she'd made sure not to look like she knew what she was doing  _too_  much, lest a Yamanaka try to body-switch her for her answers or something.

Speaking of Yamanakas, it was strange; she'd noted at least two of those pupil-less blondes in the crowd of genin surrounding her during the test, not two mention at least three distinctively Aburame-looking children (though she was only assuming that from the fact that they were all sullenly quiet, and wearing sunglasses indoors), as well as several fang-tattooed Inuzukas. There was even a pale-eyed Hyuga in the crowd. Of course, there were genin from all sorts of villages to even them out, but it was still a strangely large number of Konoha clan children to witness in one place.

"Whoo! That was fast," Shisui grinned brightly as she walked out of the room, indicating the test was over. Her neutral expression must have given her away, as most of the other kids who'd failed were walking out of the room with heavy, dejected looks. "how'd it go?"

"I passed," Reina smiled, shoulders dropping in relief as Itachi threw her an approving nod.

...Wait, since when did she care about  _Itachi's_  approval?

 _Then again, if I'd failed, who knew how many laps he'd make me run this time,_ Reina thought with a groan.

"That's awesome!" Shisui said, "Congratulations, Reina. I knew you could do it."

"It was easier than I expected," Reina said, before glancing at the other students as they dispersed. "though I think there's something weird going on with the other students..."

"I was wondering if you'd realize." Itachi said, glancing around as well. "Perhaps you're sharper than I'd thought."

"Wha-Wait. You noticed too? You didn't think it'd be a good idea to mention it sooner?" Reina said, narrowing her eyes. Itachi was a lot of things, but a great communicator wasn't one of them. Unsettling to know the habit started this early.

Shisui blinked. "Noticed what? What am I missing?"

"I didn't want to alarm you right before your test," Itachi said, "besides, it's obviously the intention of someone above our pay grade. The Hokage himself, perhaps."

 _More like Danzo,_  Reina thought. She should've known he was up to something when he approached her. Then again, why'd he want her shitty clan genes in this pool of successful, big, Konoha shinobi families?

"Okay, seriously guys," Shisui frowned. "what's going on?"

"That test was full of clan kids," Reina explained, "like, all the students from Konoha were  _only_ clan kids. I mean, it makes sense, I bet clan kids get to the chunin level more often than civilian-raised shinobis. But considering even  _I_  was recruited for this... something tells me they were, too. And that can't be a coincidence."

"Huh," Shisui said, eyes widening, "you know, now that I think about it, Setsuna used to say he'd never bother with the chunin exams since he was going straight into the Police Force... but I saw him walk in with you guys, right before the test."

"Setsuna?" Reina asked. "Is he one of your cousins?"

"Yeah, the one wearing the half-mask." Shisui waved to a thin-faced boy in the midst of the leaving crowd, wearing a blocky metal layer over his left cheek and brow.

Reina frowned. "So he's a clan kid too, then. I remember seeing him. He seemed pretty old to be taking the chunin exams."

"He's 18," Shisui explained, "and like I said, he'd never wanted to take it before. Before, I wasn't sure what convinced him to now of all times."

 _It has to be Danzo's doing, then_ , Reina thought. The conniving man must have approached Setsuna, just as he'd approached her. Perhaps all the other students as well.

 _What is he planning?_  A rush of panic rose in her chest. What could that man possibly gain from this, having a bunch of clan kids facing off against each other during this exam? Had he done this in the original series? And if so, shouldn't she know about it? There was just so much to remember from that show, and it'd been years since she'd last seen any of that series... Perhaps this event had slipped through the cracks. Or perhaps the show just hadn't mentioned it at all.

Reina bit her lip, glancing towards Itachi. "...What do you think about all this?" she asked slowly. She hated to admit it, but Itachi was a smart kid. He was surely already forming some insight on this event, hopefully catching whatever she'd missed by now.

"It makes sense from a logical standpoint." Itachi said, "We only started hosting these exams amongst different villages after the last war, but the first few years after the inter-village exam format was established, we were still repairing infrastructure from the Kyuubi attack. As a result, we hadn't had as many chances to host as the other villages. If our village leaders saw this exam as a chance to save face in light of that, I'm not surprised they're trying to put our best foot forward."

"But Itachi, weren't you were one of the youngest to ever pass the exams last year?" Shisui frowned, "Wouldn't that already be enough to prove our village's reputation?"

"A one-off isn't as impressive as proving _all_  of our clan's lineages are superior."

"What, so if a civilian kid applied this year, they'd get rejected?" Reina asked, jaw dropping. "That's so unfair!"

"I don't think they rejected them," Itachi said, "but they probably didn't recruit them as heavily. Did you not say Danzo himself recruited you, Reina?"

"Well... Yeah, that's true," Reina groaned. "Ugh, I just wanted to get a stupid little promotion and now I'm part of some political pissing contest?"

Thanks, Danzo.

"Look, all this means," Shisui said, "is that you've got to be more careful for next round, Reina. With this kind of competition in the ranks, you really picked the worst time to go in solo."

Fuck. She hadn't even thought about that yet. It was a very, very, good point, though. Clan kids didn't alway necessarily do better on these exams than normal shinobi-hopefuls, but let's face it; they definitely had a leg up.

"By the way, did you ever figure out what was going on with your chakra system?" Itachi asked.

"No... not yet. I was going to get that checked on today, after the written exam," Reina admitted.

"You'd better get to it, then," Itachi said. "you're already going into the second round alone, the added disadvantage of your chakra issues could prove greatly detrimental."

"Right, right, I get it. God, I really have the world's worst luck, don't I?"

Both boys were kind enough to spare her an answer to that question.

 

* * *

 

_SLAM._

Several passerbys gave Reina a strange look as she continued to hit her head against the wall of a restaurant on Konoha's outskirts.

_SLAM. SLAM._

"Goddammit," Reina screeched to herself, holding the offending manila folder tight between white knuckles.

She'd settled on visiting the hospital to deduce her chakra situation, though she was aware any sort of brain scan would have to wait, since that could spur news that would immediately involve a Yamanaka—but in the meantime, she could still get the rest of herself checked out.

The news awaiting her had not been good.

"Ah yes," the same nurse that'd treated her during her paralysis when she was young, Karin or something or another was her name, had said after looking over her results. "your coils are quite underdeveloped for your age. I wish we could've caught it sooner, since this means you'll experience reserve burnout at a much quicker rate than most shinobi. But it's hard to tell when the subject is young, and it's been so long since we'd last examined you... Not to mention, your genetics are quite unique, even for Konoha."

"What? But I've been a shinobi for years without this being a problem!" Reina had exclaimed, falling back into the rolling chair they put you in when they gave you bad news. The good news chair was much stiffer; they'd given her that one when she'd been told her paralysis surgery had succeeded.

"It's thanks to your chakra control," she'd explained, "you've barely ever reached your limit yet. Your body knows when you're about to run out, and by instinct, you'll already start dialing back once you get to that point. You can get by on that system just fine as a genin, maybe even a chunin, but once you start getting up to any of the higher level A-rank, maybe even B-rank jutsu, well..."

Reina hadn't heard the rest of the explanation before her mind became clouded with horror and agitation. What if Shisui hadn't knocked her out during their first encounter when she'd returned to Konoha? Or if she'd overdone it at her last training session with Itachi? She'd been kissing death all this time, without knowing.

And god, she hadn't even made it to the second round of the exams yet.

Karin had handed her the folder of results with a sympathetic look, giving her one parting warning as Reina headed out the door.

"I'm not saying you shouldn't continue on with the exams, but I would take into consideration how far you'll want to go in this career with your situation. Once you burn out those coils for good, there's no turning back."

Reina could remember the conversation so clearly in her mind, despite the fact that a few hours had passed. She'd spent the time since wandering the street of Konoha, banging her head against random storefronts in her frustration.

"You should refrain from causing such commotion in the streets, young lady," Reina practically jumped out of her own skin, turning to face the man in a green jumpsuit suddenly standing before her. "though the way you're so passionately training your forehead's durability is most youthful!"

"Gai?" Reina blinked, looking up at the bowl-haired shinobi.

"Yes?" Gai blinked back. "Have we met?"

"It's me." Reina gestured at herself. "Reina."

Gai stared intently. "...Hah?"

"...You know. Reina. I studied with Kurenai?"

Gai's face was blank.

"I was living with Minato and Kushina?"

Nothing.

"...I was the ghost girl in the play?"

"Oh!" Gai said, pounding his fist into his palm. "Reina?!"

"...Yes." Why was  _that_  the only way he remembered her?

"But wait," Gai frowned. "that can't be."

Reina sighed. This was going to be a long day. "Yeah, I can explain. I faked—"

"You cannot be Reina. She was much shorter."

"What? ...Gai, it's been  _seven years._ "

"Wait a minute," Gai's eyes widened suddenly in realization, "Seven years? Reina! I just remembered, you are supposed to be  _dead_!"

What a fool.

"Yeah. I'm aware."

"That... This is amazing!" Gai exclaimed, "You've returned from the grave, then?!"

"No Gai. I was never really dead," Reina said glumly. She had not been hoping to explain this for the fifth time, today of all days.

"I can't believe it!" he gasped, "Amazing! It is most unfortunate, that Kurenai and Asuma are currently on a mission, but once they return, they will be most delighted to see you've survived, alive and well!" he continued, "Kakashi as well! What a miraculous discovery!"

"Uh, Kakashi already knows," Reina muttered, "he's not exactly... thrilled."

"What? What do you mean?"

"He's kind of mad at me. For, you know. Faking my own death."

"What?! If Kakashi is mad at you, we must work together to make him accept your warm hug of friendship once more!" Gai exclaimed.

She wished someone else was here to witness this conversation, and confirm her disbelief at how the 'faking my own death' part had shot completely  _past_  Gai's notice.

"No, it's okay," Reina waved her hand around, "I think that's something I'll have to work through myself. I have bigger problems right now."

"What do you mean?"

"It's nothing," Reina sighed, "I just got some news today, and I'd really like to be alone to process—"

"I recognize that folder," Gai said suddenly, "you came from the hospital? Is something wrong with your health?"

"Not really, well, not yet, I just—"

"Oh no," Gai gasped, "Reina, are you dying?! For real, this time?! When we've only just gotten you back, too, how can the world be so cruel—"

"Dude, stop," Reina said, already giving up. In the end, she'd rather explain the situation than let him keep rambling on. Anything, to get him to stop talking.

"Your coils are burnt out?" Gai asked, expression thoughtful after Reina had regaled her tale of woe, showing him her hospital results in the process.

"Yeah," Reina sighed, "guess that screws me out of my shinobi career."

"Aha!" Gai said, "do not despair! I am very familiar with your plight."

Reina blinked. True, she'd forgotten she was talking to one of the few shinobi who couldn't even _use_  chakra. Man, now she felt a little bad for whining to Gai about this, of all people.

"Very well then!" Gai shouted suddenly, with the force of an atomic bomb, "it's decided! When one can not rely on their chakra network to provide support for ninjutsu, we must turn to honing your skills in taijutsu!"

"Wait, what?"

"Come, we must leave before the best training spots get booked! The grass in the Third Training Ground in particular is perfect for running laps barefoot!"

"Wait, wait. Laps? Barefoot? Taijutsu?!"

"Of course! You'll need to warm up with a quick run before we get started on your taijutsu training!" Gai exclaimed, "Otherwise, you risk injury to yourself! And while we train, we will catch up, and you can tell me the story of how you outsmarted death! In great detail, of course!"

"Okay, several things," Reina said, "number one, I didn't outsmart death, I faked my death, but you don't seem to understand that because you're too—okay why are you doing pushups now?"

Gai shouted up from his position on the floor, "I am most excited to see you back, and ecstatic that we will be training together! These are celebratory pushups!"

What was with these people and training? It was always training this, training that. Did any of them have any actual hobbies outside of work? Besides Kakashi and his porn books, that is.

"Not sure what to say to that... And another thing, I definitely do NOT want to train with you, I'm already training with Itachi—"

"Nonsense. Though Itachi may be a young master of ninjutsu, when it comes to taijutsu, there is no one more suitable to train you than I, Maito Gai!" Gai announced, suddenly jumping up and grabbing her by the arm. "Let us go to the training grounds before it's too late! Sunlight is sparse!"

It was early morning, so she didn't really know what he meant by 'sunlight is sparse'. Or did he mean to train until the sun went down? At least seven hours from now?

Gai, as if reading her mind and silently answering her question, fervently nodded.

 

* * *

 

Several weeks later, the day of the Second Exam had arrived.

She'd heard exams tended to change throughout the years, but for some reason, the proctors were always a fan of including one thing for the second test:

The Forest of Death.

 _Great,_  Reina thought glumly, as the chain-link fence surrounding the forest came into view. _Just great._

The teams were told to wait right outside as the proctors lined up in front of the grounds. Most of the genin were already grouped by the time she arrived, so she had to wait alone, awkwardly and teamless, off to the side of the main crowd. Against Shisui's advice, she hadn't bothered to bring Nora with her either; instead she'd sent the cat off to deliver Zabuza the latest of her sparse savings. So now she was truly, utterly alone in this.

Somehow, that wasn't the worst part about this scene.

The proctors stood proudly at their north, sadistic smirks on their faces, arms tucked behind their backs. And one of them in particular was sickeningly familiar.

" _Kasuga's_  one of the exam proctors?" Reina said with a groan. "Not him..."

"You know him?" Reina turned to see a team of three approaching, the closest strong-jawed boy stepping up to address her. "I'm Maen, by the way. Maen Nara. Weren't you one of the kids on Shikaku's team?"

"Oh, um, yeah." Reina said, "You're Kasuga's cousin, then?"

"Yeah," Maen nodded with a light laugh, "trust me, you're not the only one with a problem with him."

"Hah... good to know."

Maen gestured towards the rest of his team behind him, first at a redhead with golden eyes. "That's Fu Yamanaka."

Reina blinked.  _Yamanaka?_  His looks were a heavy deviation from what she'd assumed were the Yamanaka signature look of blonde hair and blue eyes. Then again, maybe she didn't know as much about the Konoha clans as she'd thought.

"And that's Maruten Akimichi." Reina recognized the boy from the written exam, with dark circles marring his cheeks in either a tattoo or painted fixture. He waved a thick hand at Reina, throwing a shy smile her way.

Reina blinked. "Oh, hi."

She should've expected the Yamanaka-Nara-Akimichi team pairing, though they didn't seem to have the same chemistry as the Ino-Shika-Cho groups. The age differences were also strange with them, as the Nara looked to be a few years older than the rest, while Maruten seemed a bit younger. Only Fu was really around a typical genin's age.

"So you're not taking the exam with a team?" Fu asked. "Trying to be like that Uchiha kid from last year, huh?"

"No," Reina shook her head. "I—"

"You!" A voice suddenly shouted. "Crazy Eyes!"

"Uggggh," Reina moaned, throwing her hands onto her face. "noooo. He's spotted me."

Kasuga had sidled up to where their group was standing, jaw dropping as he did. "I can't believe it, you're really alive?" he exclaimed. "I'd heard some rumors, but man. It's like seeing a ghost."

First, he'd called her the most unfavorable childhood nickname she'd ever had (in both lives) and now, he just had to say  _ghost_. No wonder she hated seeing him.

"Yeah, yeah, I've gotten that a lot. But more importantly, what are you doing here?"

"I'm a chunin, obviously." Kasuga gestured to his green vest proudly.

"But a proctor?" Reina said, "I never pinned you as the type to go for glorified babysitting duty."

He winced at that. "Hell no! I'm only here because I got chewed out for letting some guy through the gate a few months ago without checking his paperwork," Kasuga seethed. "But he was posing as someone everyone knew! How could I know anyone would be stupid enough to try that?!"

 _Thanks._  Reina thought. _I like you even less now, somehow._

Maen snickered from behind her. "It's the second time he's screwed up on guard duty this year."

"Hey!" Kasuga protested, turning to Maen. "You keep out of this, loser!"

" _I'm_  the loser?" Maen shot back. "You're the one that kept saying you'd make it to jounin by the end of the year, and now you're stuck on guard duty. How embarrassing."

Fu snickered as Kasuga's face went red. "Hey now, guard duty is very important you know, something you're about to learn, you—"

"Kasuga! Stop spoiling the exam and get your ass over here," they looked over to see a chunin glaring at Kasuga from near the fence.

"Oh shit," he said, running back up to his station.

Maen and Fu snickered as the older chunin ran off. Maruten dug his toe in the ground, looking as nervous as ever.

"What do you think he meant by that?" Maruten whispered to Reina, who shrugged.

"Dunno. But I'm guessing we're about to find out."

"Listen up, punks!" Kasuga yelled once he'd made it back to the front. "This exam will be like a version of capture the flag, so to speak. Each group will be assigned a station to guard their flag, which will have a seal written on it unique to your team. Each team needs to collect one other flag besides their own before meeting at the guard tower to pass. Teams that lose their own flag will be disqualified, and teams that can't capture an added flag will  _not_  be moving on."

 _Oh, wow,_  Reina thought. Sure, it seemed like a simplistic test in design, but it would automatically cut the chances of passing this part of the exam in half. At minimum.

And for certain people, those chances were even worse.

"Shit," Reina realized, "I don't have a team." How was she supposed to guard a flag station all by herself? She hadn't been expecting this test to force her into a stationary position like this. Surely she looking like one of the easiest targets here right now, the only solo test-taker and not to mention hailing from one of the least notorious clans in Konoha. Once everyone figured out where her post was, she'd surely be flooded with enemies.

"Come with us," Maruten said suddenly, glancing to Maen. "we can have the four of us guarding two flags, right?"

Reina turned to the Akimichi boy, surprised. "What?"

Maen shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

"You'd really help your competition out here?" Reina's eyes narrowed in disbelief.

Maen laughed, a strange glint in his eyes. "Trust me, we're not worried. It'd be no use taking down a small fry like you, anyways. We're here to make an impression, like we promised Danz—" Maen's voice cut off, Fu shaking his head behind him. "uh, nevermind. What I'm saying is, sure, we don't mind."

Reina pretended she hadn't caught his slip up, though in her mind it'd set off warning bells.

Surely the name he'd failed to finish was Danzo. That was bad news in and of itself, plus the devious look in Maen's expression told Reina he wasn't exactly being straightforward with his intentions like he claimed.

Unfortunately, though, she wasn't exactly flush with options right now. And if she wanted to make it to the first daybreak in the Forest of Death, she'd need all the help she could get.

She'd just have to anticipate whatever they were planning, and get to them before they got to her.

"Alright then... let's do it."

 

* * *

 

"So, what'd  _Danzo_  say to get you guys to join this year?" Reina asked, slapping another seal on a tree nearby. Fu and Maen had gone off to patrol their area, though Reina wondered why they'd even bothered waiting until nightfall to do so. There was little point in trying to use the veil of night to take out intruders here, not when they were up against a bunch of Hyugas and Uchihas.

Maruten almost dropped the small fish he'd been roasting over what Reina would say was a fairly risky fire. Still, god knew Akimichis needed to eat, and they'd been lucky enough to come upon a small stream of when they'd set up camp. She'd insisted they keep their guardpost near the water once they'd discovered it, so she'd have access to the stream for her clone jutsus. Just in case.

"Did... Are you saying he asked you too?" Maruten questioned slowly, repositioning himself on his seat on a log. "I guess we weren't the only ones, then."

"Apparently," Reina shrugged, "I'm guessing almost everyone was recruited by him, if you look at the turnout."

"Oh. I guess I thought it was a weird coincidence that there were only clan kids this year. So it  _was_  on purpose," The Akimichi boy mused, glancing around the area, the large green flag his team was guarding hidden in a pile of brush behind them. Fortunately, they'd gotten the one color that was easiest to camouflage amongst all this forest.

 _That's kind of annoying,_  Reina thought. Danzo hadn't even bothered trying to hide his involvement in this. As if he knew he wouldn't,  _couldn't,_  get caught.

Not that there was anything necessarily nefarious about it on the surface, meaning there wasn't much to get caught _for._  And that made it all the more frustrating.

"He... was just really nice about it," Maruten continued, and Reina fought not to look at him like he was crazy. Danzo?  _Nice?_  "told us how we were wasting our talent by not signing up for the exam, how we weren't valued enough amongst our clan members and this could be our chance to prove ourselves to them; and then he told us how we'd make such a great team together... I mean, I wasn't in the Academy the same years as Fu or Maen, but he made a good point. Our clans' jutsus usually do really well together, so why let graduation dates get in the way?"

"Uh, but did you ever stop to think why he cares so much about you guys taking the test?" Reina asked, "I mean, why is someone on the Council so personally invested in us like this?"

Maruten shrugged. "I guess I'd never thought of it that way before. He's on the Council though, so it's probably just because he cares about the villagers, right?"

Reina stared at him for a moment. "I mean... that... possibly?"

"You don't think so?" Maruten said. "You kind of say Danzo's name like it's a bad thing. I'm guessing you don't trust him much?"

Fuck, she'd given herself away.

"I mean, I'm not really from a big clan like yours, so I'm kind of wondering why I'm here with you guys," Reina lied. "I'm feeling like a small fish that got fried up with the big ones by accident, you know?"

Maruten glanced down at the fish roasting on the end of his stick and slowly lowered it. "Oh. You're from that one clan, right? The one from Kiri? I'd heard they're all gone now though," he paused, "...do you know what happened to them?"

"I guess, kind of," Reina murmured. "wasn't really trying to start a conversation about that, though." She really was much more concerned about getting to the bottom of this whole Danzo thing, and this kid was distracting them from the subject with needlessly polite small talk.

"O-oh, sorry," Maruten said hurriedly. "I should've realized you wouldn't want to..."

Reina realized she probably should've been nicer, considering he'd been the one to throw her a bone and invited her to join forces. Though she had a sneaking suspicion Maen and Fu were planning to bait her with false words of camaraderie and teamwork before taking her flag at the last minute, she was pretty sure Maruten had been left out of the plot.

He was no Itachi, but Maruten seemed somewhat smart, having figured out her lack of deference towards Danzo relatively quickly. And he  _was_  similar to Itachi in that he was kind. Reina knew he'd genuinely wanted to help her when he asked for her to be on his team, unlike his teammates.

"Nevermind," Reina shook her head, "let's just quiet down. We don't want anyone to hear us."

It wouldn't really have been a problem, though. Their voices weren't much louder than the trickling of water to their side.

"You're right," Maruten said, "but maybe in a few minutes we should check on the others. They've been out for a while—"

"Wait," Reina stood suddenly, "did you hear that?"

"What?" Maruten glanced around furtively, "what is it?!"

"That bush," Reina said. She could've sworn she'd seen it moving just now.

"I don't..." Maruten frowned, squinting. "see anything?"

"No, it's definitely something," Reina said. Zabuza wouldn't have let her live it down if she didn't check out something like this out. It was obviously a potential trap.

She pulled up a few senbon, ready to stab them into the eyes of whatever was lurking in the foliage, slowly bringing up her hand to part the leaves—

and practically rolled her eyes to the back of her head when she the two glowing eyes awaiting her.

Reina stared at Nora, who stood on all fours with a mewl.

"What the hell? I didn't summon you." she wouldn't have, not wanting to risk using up her disadvantaged reserves before the fighting even started. "did you just follow me out here? Aren't you supposed to be on your way to Kiri?"

Nora only mewled again in reply.

"Who's this?" Maruten asked, coming over.

"It's my summon," Reina sighed. "I guess he followed me out here."

"Aww!" Maruten cheered, slowly reaching out his hand to give Nora a friendly pat on the head, which Nora accepted graciously, "he's so cute. What's his name?"

"Nora."

"Well, Nora," Maruten glanced towards the river, before walking over with his canteen out. "we can't offer you any food, but how about some nice, fresh water—"

_Shhhzzk-sh._

It all happened so quickly. A kunai went whizzing through the air, and before she knew it, Maruten was down.

Reina watched in horror as the Akimichi boy fell dead into the water.

"Maruten?! MARUTEN!" she screamed, running over to him. His blood streamed out of the gaping wound in the back of his head, the weapon poking out like a flag of surrender.

"All alone now, Kitani girl?" a voice taunted. She turned to see what looked to be a team of three boys from Kumo, according to their forehead protectors.

"You killed him!" Reina yelled, fingers already on Maruten's neck, looking for a pulse.

Nothing.

She stood quickly, the most intense adrenaline rush she'd ever experienced taking over her body, the senbon in her palm suddenly feeling heavier than lead. "What's wrong with you psychopaths?!"

 _Was he supposed to die?_  she wondered to herself, heart slamming between her ribs. Had he been alive in the series? Had she distracted him, led him towards his death? Or would he have met his end at this exam anyways?

There wasn't much time to process that possibility, however, as skillfully thrown weapons and seals were already flying through the sky.

"Shit shit shit," she said to herself, before falling to the grassy floor in an attempt to dodge the barrage of kunai sent her way. "shit, shit."

She ducked behind a nearby tree, peeking out around the bark to get a better look at her assailants. They didn't churn any recognition from Reina's memories, and their features weren't exactly distinctive, besides the usual Kumo features.

"Just give us the flag," one of the youngest-looking boys yelled, with sunken cheeks and a long neck. He was, in many way, much like a short giraffe. "or you'll end up like your friend over there."

God, the flag. She'd almost forgotten. Well, it definitely wasn't worth her life at this point.

"Sure, take it!" she yelled back, "Just... leave!"

The boy scoffed. "Wow, you're really such a loser, aren't you? Giving up so easily! Not even trying to avenge your fallen teammate!"

"Not! My! Teammate!" Reina snapped, pointing to the tree she'd hidden her own, blue flag behind, before risking a glance towards the team of boys. "Just... take the flag and go!"

The Kumo shinobi didn't budge, to her surprise. He wore a smirk as he spoke, "Hey, don't play dumb. You just said he wasn't your teammate. Means you have another flag around here then, right?"

Reina froze. Shit, this kid was sharper than he'd looked. Perhaps she shouldn't feel so bad about not seeing his sneak attack coming.

It was hard to say why she did this, but something about Maruten's death being in vain didn't sit well with her. She fought with the instinct to grab his team's green flag and run, and at least given his sacrifice some meaning for the sake of his team's passing.

Nothing about that idea seemed particularly realistic right now though.

"Well? Spill it!" the Kumo boy was in front of her in a minute, and so was his team.

Her seals were up faster, though, and the three water clones busied themselves with her foes as she ran off into the forest.

 _Why am I doing this?!_  she wondered, propelling herself up into the branches for a better vantage point. Maruten hadn't been the first death she'd ever witnessed in this world, but he'd sure been one of the youngest, besides Rin and Obito. But their deaths had meant to happen. His... well, she didn't know it for sure.

And for some reason, that bothered her.

_Pop._

She fell to her knees on a nearby branch, not in pain, but in a deep, agonized frustration.

Her water clones had barely lasted a few minutes. They hadn't even been defeated, her chakra had simply... stopped.

Her goddamn reserves... This was insane!

She took a deep breath, dropping down from the branch to face her pursuers face to face. She'd have to, if she wanted to utilize any of the taijutsu training Gai had provided her the last few weeks.

And yes, she was aware a few weeks of training was probably not enough to take down three seasoned shinobi in hand-to-hand combat, her worst subject at the Academy. Even  _months_  of Gai's training probably wouldn't have helped her here.

"Well," the Kumo boy smiled sinisterly, "I guess this is it for you—"

Suddenly, he went flying towards the ground, his teammates gaping as he screamed out in pain.

"Fuck!" he thrashed, trying to rip off the animal attacking his face, claws out.

"Nora!" Reina screamed, lowering herself onto the ground where he'd landed, attempting to pull the cat off the boy by the back of its neck. "No!"

The Kumo boy pulled out his kunai, ripped the summon from his face before Reina could reach them, before slashing at Nora with his weapon. The cat fell to the floor in a splatter of blood, loose fur and flesh flying everywhere.

Reina swung widely, the sharp stab of several senbon landing directly in the boy's shoulders. He let out a yell, jumping to his feet in an attempt to dodge her next strike, but not before Reina's foot went down on his toes.

"Ouch!" he winced. "You bitch!"

"You killed that boy and maimed my summon," Reina snapped. "I'm going to be doing a lot more than stepping on your toes now, you little shit, I'll... I'll!"

"What a commotion," a voice caught their attention as a pair of pale lavender eyes emerged from the darkness, Reina's own eyes widening.

"Is this really Kumo's best they've sent?" the boy was evidently a Hyuga, with two long strands of light brown hair tied to points framing his face. To his side stood a sullen-looking boy wearing green-tinted sunglasses, despite the fact it was deep into the night. An Aburame, by the looks of it.

She didn't recognize them, but from the observations she was making and their forehead protectors, they were Konoha shinobi. Meaning there was at least a chance, however small, that they wouldn't be trying to kill her here.

Reina's shoulders fell in relief. Despite the imbalance in numbers, surely these two could hold their own against these no-name Kumo shinobi before them.

Sure enough, they had the Kumo shinobi cornered within minutes of arriving, Reina too busy with tending to Nora's wounds to witness the rest of their fight.

"It's okay," Reina tried to speak soothingly to the cat, pulling a roll of gauze out of her pouch and wrapping it around Nora's left paw. The bleeding was harrowing, however, and the digits looked like they were barely hanging on by a string of muscle, "it'll be okay, let me just patch you up, good as new..."

Nora only continued to mewl in pain, the sound echoing sharply against the rustling of leaves resulting from the fight around them.

Reina held the summon in her arms as she stood, watching as the two newcomer shinobi approached her, looking completely unscathed even after their tussle with the Kumo shinobi.

"We've taken care of them," the Hyuga boy said, jerking his thumb at the tied up team behind them. "where's the rest of your team?"

"She doesn't have one," the Aburame said suddenly, "I recognize her. She's the Kitani girl, the one going solo this year."

"I don't have a team, but they took down a boy..." Reina said hurriedly, glancing towards their camp. "I need to get him... I need to get Maruten's body... his parents, they'll want it..."

"Sorry," the Hyuga apologized, though she could hear the hard edge to his words, "we can't let you go yet."

"What?" Reina said, taking a step back.

"The Kumo shinobi destroyed both of their flags when we confronted them." the Hyuga frowned. "It seemed they preferred the outcome of all of us losing, rather than giving up a win to Konoha shinobi."

"They... they did?"

"So we'll be needing to get the green team's flag for ourselves," the Aburame continued, "and we can't risk you warning them beforehand."

"What? No!" Reina snapped, "Who cares about that? A kid just died—"

"People die all the time in these exams," the Aburame snapped back, "it's a reflection of what we can expect as shinobi. Do you think there are no such casualties in battle?"

"This is different, this is just a stupid test that some stupid old man is using to pit us all against each other for show, and the fact that you guys can't see that is just sad!" Reina yelled, before pushing past the two.

"Wait!" the Hyuga boy said, stepping in front of her right when she was about to reach the edge of their campsite, "Just wait a few moments, at least—"

"No!" she snapped, "let me through!"

"Don't make us use force, Kitani girl," the Aburame seethed. Reina's heart stopped as she witnessed a large black shadow—no, not a shadow, a  _mass_ , of quivering, buzzing insects, forming a tall pillar behind the boy.

"Fuck," Reina said, hugging Nora to her chest before falling into a sprint.

She'd barely made it a minute out when she felt the tugging on her heels, internally cursing the universe as she glanced down to see the swarm of bugs already snaking its way around her shoes and up to her middle.

"Let me go!" she screeched, almost dropping Nora as she swatted away at the bugs with her hands. It was a futile attempt, but it was all she could think of at the moment, her arms too full of cat to perform proper seals.

"Maybe we should get the girl to quiet down first," Reina immediately ducked her gaze once she saw the see a red-eyed boy in front of her.

"Setsuna," she breathed.

Setsuna grinned, eyes spinning. "You know me? That's a shame. I don't remember meeting."

"We haven't," Reina said, making a snap decision. She rolled Nora onto the ground, right outside the further bug's reach, and started forming hand seals.

Just in time too, as the creatures had just reached the bottom of her elbows by the time she was able to get her first water clone out.

"Ah," Setsuna's eyes widened momentarily, distracted by the clone's attack, while Reina pulled out an explosive seal, slamming it into the middle of the flurry of bugs.

_BAM!_

She could hear the Aburame boy cursing from behind her as she ran off again, managing to get even less far before she was again blocked by another member of their team.

"What are you waiting for, Tokuma?!" Setsuna yelled, meeting kunai with Reina's clone from behind them. "Finish her off!"

The Hyuga stood before her, eyes hard, Byakugan already activated.

Reina fell into her fighting stance, trying to think of any possible way out of this; moments later, they both had senbon and kunai flying in the air towards each other, Reina barely managing to get cover behind a tree before she attempted another clone.

Fighting a Hyuuga, you'd think Reina would have the advantage considering she knew where his Byakugan's blind spot was, thanks to the original series.

But no. It was somewhere at the 350 degree mark, if Reina remembered correctly; but it's not like she was a human protractor. She couldn't just find that area in the heat of battle as things were moving around quickly. Not at her level.

So unfortunately, she was at a loss when Tokuma caught her hands mid-seal with one of his own, jabbing a kunai into her side as he did. He pulled down, pressing the cool metal into flesh, almost tickling bone, before pulling out the blade in one fell swoop.

She fell to the floor in a heap, grasping the wound with a breathless cry.

"Surrender now, or you will lose this fight," Tokuma said solemnly. "there is nowhere in this forest you can hide from my eyes."

Reina didn't respond, a pounding roar in her ears as she felt the wet redness dripping onto her fingers.

Nothing about this was fair. Two dojutsu users on one team? A Hyuga  _and_  Uchiha, no less? How did Danzo even manage that?

She felt the  _pop_  of her clone being defeated, not even a second passing before she was surrounded by the rest of team, Setsuna sporting little more than a few scratches and bruises. The Aburame boy's expression was a little more sour, but he otherwise looked no worse for wear.

"Muta, maybe you should do the honors," Setsuna smiled, "it's your bugs she scorched, after all."

"We need not kill her," Muta said coldly, "but if she continues to cause problems, we will need to... significantly debilitate her."

"Augh, fuck you!" Reina spat, feeling the panic rise in her throat. "It's just a test, you guys!"

"There's more riding on this than you know," Setsuna spat back. "but I don't expect a no-name clan girl like you to understand."

She hated this. Whatever Danzo was planning, for the first time in her life here, Reina was in the dark. It wasn't like she'd expected to know _all_ the steps to his dastardly plots until now, but somehow everyone in this forest, including her, had been made a pawn of his schemes. The same way Shisui would be, soon enough. Itachi too, later on.

Danzo would take their lives without a care, and he'd take hers too.

It made her blood boil.

"You know what, if you guys are too chicken, I'll take her out myself," Setsuna said, raising his kunai.

Tokuma's eyes widened. "Wait, Setsuna—" His arm shot out, but he was too slow. Even Reina could see he wouldn't make it to his teammate's weapon before it struck, the sharp blade aimed right for the space between her eyes.

It didn't matter, though. Setsuna's arm never made it down.

The feeling was familiar, but colder now. Starker. She could feel it all the way inside of her, deep in her bones. The feeling of something stirring for the first time in years.

She had never activated it at night, never seen how the shadows made the blacks deeper and the whites sparse.

It was eerie, but in the moment, nothing was more beautiful. The three boys had been frozen where they stood, unaware of the fate that was about to befall them.

"TOMERU's BACK, BITCHES!" she whooped, uncaring that her assailants couldn't even hear her shriek.

Her Tomeru had activated harshly, if not painfully. It was like exercising a muscle you never used for the first time in a long time.  _Ow_.

And what's worse, she could feel its immediate drain on her chakra reserves. Forget that time limit she used to have; though she'd finally managed to break Kushina's seal on her Kekkei Genkai, it would do her no good if she burnt out her coils right now.

"I need to act fast," Reina muttered, pulling out her supplies from her pouch.

 

* * *

 

A few minutes later, she took a deep breath, a faint smile on her lips as she pulled up her hands and formed the seals to undo her Tomeru.

The screams echoed in the forest as the boys flailed in their holdings, Setsuna's screeched particularly muffled considering the seal Reina'd placed over his mouth. She'd picked up Nora again, relieved to see his heartbeat was still going strong, though he'd been startled awake from unconsciousness when he'd heard the screams.

"Shh," Reina said to Nora, "don't worry about it. They'll stop screaming eventually."

"What the hell is this?!" Muta roared. She'd bound the boys with several feet of threads to the highest branch of the tallest tree she could find. Then, she'd covered almost every inch of them with all the explosive seals she'd had on her.

She'd worked right up until the moment almost all of her chakra had been used up before stopping. It was overkill, but she felt they deserved it.

Tokuma grunted, shaking the leaves around him as he attempted to escape his bindings.

"You'd better not move any more than that," Reina called, "or else I'll be activating those explosive seals."

Suddenly, she could feel the presence of other several shinobi approaching, the group not even bothering the mask the sounds of their footsteps crunching on fallen leaves. She whipped around, a kunai in hand.

A crowd had formed behind her, much to her surprise. Most of them were shinobi from foreign villages, though she recognized a few Konoha shinobi. They all looked like they had recently been in a fight of their own, and she briefly wondered why the hell she'd made the idiotic move of using up all her chakra on these three boys when there was a forest full of enemies to take down.

"She took down that team?" one of the younger shinobi whispered, the Konoha symbol emblazoned on his forehead protector. "The Hyuga? And even an Uchiha? How is that possible?"

"What clan is she from again?" another voice asked. She shot them a peeved look, and to her surprise, fear shot across their expressions. She waited until they slowly backed away into the cover of the forest to drop it, the rest of the crowd following, much to her relief.

That relief died quickly when she saw two more figures emerge from the thicket.

_"You."_

Reina's palms went clammy as she watched the redhead boy approach, carrying something grey and wet.

She paled once she realized what it was.

" _You_... you took down those three, all this entire time?" Fu demanded, holding Maruten's corpse tightly in his grasp.

"I..."

Maen was fast behind him. "And yet you still let Maruten die!" he roared. "You just let him die?! I don't believe you... We trusted you! Look what you've done!"

"I...," Reina said sadly, before walking over to the brush where they'd been keeping the green flag. She held it out to him, not meeting his eyes as she did. "here, you can have this, at least the rest of your team—"

"No!" Maen spat, "We don't want anything from you!"

"Look, I didn't let him die on purpose!" Reina snapped, taking a step back.

"Yeah right! You just wanted to take out the competition," Fu said.

"Weren't you doing the same?"

Maen flushed. "We wouldn't have killed you. We're all from the same village."

"Look, I'm sorry," Reina said, "I'm sorry he died, but really, it wasn't me."

Fu's hands shook at his sides. "Just leave," he hissed, "get the fuck out of our sight."

"...Okay," Reina said, throwing the flag at their feet, "but take that at least. Don't... don't let his death be a waste."

"It's already a waste," Maen said dejectedly, never taking his eyes off her until she left.

A part of her couldn't help but agree.

 

* * *

 

She'd handed Nora to a medic at the tower once she'd arrived, but she was still awaiting the news on her summon almost an hour later.

"He'll be fine," a medic finally said, coming up to her as another medic patched up Reina's wound on her side, "though he might not be able to walk on that paw as easily as he used to, his life isn't in danger."

"Oh, thank god," Reina said. She'd already forfeited the exam by coming to the tower without any flags, but she didn't particularly care about any of that at the moment. "when can I take him home?"

"We'd like to keep him here overnight, just in case of infection," the medic said, "but go to the hospital in the morning and you'll be able to pick him up."

After agreeing to that, she'd left the tower with a sinking feeling. It wasn't until she was halfway home that she realized she would've much rather walked back from that horrible test with at least some sort of company, even if it was a heavily-injured cat.

She'd wanted to push it out of her mind, but it was hard not to think of Maruten's death. The memory replayed sharply, vividly; the thunderous sound of his body slapping the water echoed continuously in her mind. The air suddenly felt colder, and she found herself hugging her arms to her body to prevent further shivering as she trudged her way home.

The Academy was on her way back, much to her chagrin. Sh found herself stopping to observe the school from a distance, realizing that it was the afternoon, so class was still in session. Shinobi children ran around the courtyard, playing games of ball or tag, unaware of how dark their lives would become in the careers they'd chosen. Unaware that years from now they might be in the same place as her, walking home alone from a test right after witnessing a peer's test.

 _No,_  Reina thought dryly.  _Those_  kids wouldn't be alone.

Perhaps this was the real reason the test was best taken in teams. It wasn't just the fights where having a support system mattered; it was the horrible moments after, when one had to live in the wake of the horrible things they'd seen, or even done.

Sure, she'd witnessed and even committed, at times, absolute atrocities on her travels with Zabuza; but Haku had always been there to revel in the terror with her. Before then, the fear of being a genin had been alleviated by her kinship with Kushina and Minato, as little as she wanted to admit it. Even in her past life, all the friends and family and even pets she'd taken for granted had empowered her, given her the ability to charge through life with at least a minimal level of confidence.

Now, who did she have?

Minato, Kushina, and Rin were dead, thanks to no interference on her part. Obito, was as good as forsaken. Kakashi hated her, and she had no way of mediating that.

And her friendship with Shisui was now shaky at best.

_You did this to yourself._

To top it all off, she had been born an orphan in this world, to a clan that no longer existed. Powerless to do anything, stop anything, be it Danzo and his schemes, or the deaths that awaited the people around her.

_You're alone._

For the first time since she'd been reincarnated, the reality of it all became clear.

She was living, really, truly,  _living_  in this world that she'd once thought fake; and she was living in it alone. Just like...

_Just like Naruto._

Ironic, that she'd have so much more in common with the hero of this story than she'd thought.

But there was a difference between her and Naruto. He was meant to be here. He was allowed to change things, because no matter what he did, he belonged. _She_  was the anomaly. The glitch in the program. The existence that threatened to throw the happy ending careening off its track.

Even so, she couldn't deny it. She was starting to feel it. It was snowballing, all the actions she'd taken, or failed to take, and now it was beginning to weigh on her. Like each of their deaths were her own fault.

Everyday, she attempted to push the feeling down, strangle her emotions as Zabuza had taught her; but it was always there. Minato, Rin, Kushina... She wasn't the cause of their deaths, but she was all too aware now that she'd had the power to prevent them.

 _It's not your fault,_  Reina would try to tell herself. It  _wasn't_  her fault. Was it? Did it still count as her doing, if they were destined to die anyways? Was it really her fault she didn't want to risk the future they'd all sacrificed themselves _for_?

And if not, why did it sometimes feel like she'd killed them with her own two hands?

 

* * *

 

Time passed quickly, and soon enough, a year and a half had passed. Eventually, Reina did finally make it to chunin, but there was little time to celebrate.

It was early morning when she'd found herself running through the maze of the Uchiha compound, struggling to located her ex-teammate. He'd failed to train at his usual haunts, throwing Reina off her search as she felt the panic rising in her throat.

Finally, she found him at the outskirts of the forest right outside the Uchiha compound, striking at a swinging target he'd tied to a tree.

" _Shisui_ ," she hissed, standing in front of the target as he was about to throw his weapon. She wasn't worried, though; he was fast enough to pull back before hitting her.

"Reina," he greeted her, lowering his kunai just in time. "what's with all the attitude this early in the morning?"

"Weird place to be training," she replied dryly, ignoring his quip. "so far away from your usual spots... almost like you're trying to avoid someone."

"Oh." Shisui sighed, "It's not  _you_  I'm avoiding, you know."

"Itachi?"

"Yeah," Shisui said glumly. "guess I'm way worse at hiding out than I thought, though."

Reina raised a brow. "What does that mean?"

Shisui gestured behind Reina, who turned to see a shadowy figure emerging from the brush.

"Shisui," came Itachi's low voice, a face haunted with buried emotions greeting them as he continued, "I see Reina's beaten me here."

"Itachi, c'mon," Shisui sighed, "I don't know how to explain myself any further."

"Yeah?" Reina seethed, "You decide to go off to Kumo for two months, and you think you have no reason to explain that?"

"It's family stuff, Reina," Shisui said, "you wouldn't understand."

It was true, she didn't understand. But not for the reasons he thought.

Her memory of the original series was now as cloudy as could be, considering all the years that'd passed; but she'd written down one singular fact in that little red book of hers, years ago, when her recollection of her past life was still sharp.

Shisui was only a few weeks away from turning 17.

Except, according to her notes, he'd never made it that far in the show.

Not that his age at his death was ever stated, but she'd remembered around what age Sasuke and Itachi had been during the massacre, and done the math from there. Shisui was no older than 16 when he'd met his fate.

And when Shisui'd died at Danzo's hands, he'd still been in  _Konoha_. Not Kumo. This could only mean one thing.

Shisui's death, and the Uchiha Massacre that followed after...

It was finally upon them.

Reina took a deep breath to steady herself as Itachi and Shisui continued to bicker in front of her, unaware that the event that would change both their lives forever was about to unveil.

"Family stuff, you say," Itachi continued, "how is leaving your clan for two months helping with our family's situation?"

They might have weeks. Maybe days. Reina had absolutely no idea. This had been one of the first times in months she'd come to see Shisui; they'd grown so far apart, with his busy Anbu schedule and her taking on new chunin missions (she'd decided to take on the easier ones that required more traveling than combat, considering her chakra issues), there'd been little opportunity to reconnect recently.

Now, she wished she'd bothered to spend a little more time with the boy this past year, considering it was most likely his last.

"We need to showcase the Uchiha's loyalty to the village," Shisui argued back, "show the other nations our goodwill. That we're not the selfish, arrogant pricks everyone says we are—"

"Now's not the time to be leaving our clan to attend to itself, Shisui." Itachi's voice rose, possibly for the first time since Reina'd met him, "You and I both know what's about to transpire, we are on the brink of something we can't hold back. I need you  _here._ Right now, what matters is not what the other villages think of us, but how  _this_  village perceives our clan."

She didn't  _know_. It wasn't the first time she didn't know, it's not like they ever had the exact dates of everyone's death marked on calendars in the series, but this was  _Shisui._  He was one of the few people she'd cared about that was destined to die soon. Why didn't she realize this before?

"That's exactly why I'm doing this!" Shisui replied, exasperated, "Konoha's been asking an Uchiha to take on this mission for  _months_ because they need a dojutsu user, but we've kept on refusing. It'll show our village not all the Uchihas are being uncooperative with them. Doesn't that count for something?"

Itachi looked the closest to fuming Reina had ever seen. "It's a death sentence. I know this can't be the only reason for you to leave now, of all times. Why do you insist on this dishonestly?"

"I'm not," Shisui shook his head, "and I don't know what to do if you can't believe me. So if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to training."

Itachi's face deflated for a moment, before he took a sharp turn to leave.

Reina let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

"That... Itachi has a point," Reina tried to keep her voice from shaking, lest Shisui realize her current mental state, "I didn't really expect this from you, Shisui. Not now."

She wasn't supposed to know much about the Uchiha's current political state, but it was evident even to most civilians that the Uchihas were going through rough times. Many citizens were now insubordinate towards the police force, the Uchiha's family businesses were receiving less and less village patronage, and the constantly vandalize walls of their compound were the quiet, shameful symbol of the clan's descent from respect and power.

It was clearly not the time for an Uchiha to be taking missions in places as far as Kumo.

"Look, Reina," Shisui's voice dropped, "I know we haven't seen each other much this past year, but truthfully, I haven't felt like much of a friend to you or Itachi. I think... I need to get away for a bit. Get away from all... this."

 _Oh,_  she realized, remembering something from the series. Shisui was probably trying to get out of his mission to spy on Itachi. The guilt must've finally gotten to him, so he'd taken this Kumo mission.

Of course. But he wouldn't get to that mission at all, it seemed.

Time was ticking.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand it's back!
> 
> Also, I would like to clarify this is NOT a self-insert fic, lmao. Reina is very much just an OC. I completely understand the confusion but god no if this were an SI it would be one chapter and nothing would happen because I would be dead in the first five minutes of it


	17. Black Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The time has come, and Reina is less than ready.

She turned the corner quickly, slapping away the fabric of the curtain as she stood behind the only occupied stool at Ichiraku.

"Naruto," Reina said darkly.

The boy froze, a large chunk of half-chewed noodles sloshing out of his mouth.

"Oh!" he laughed nervously, unperturbed by the mess running down his front. "Seal lady!"

"I'm pretty sure we had a lesson today," Reina said, eyes narrowing. "so... what are you doing here, eating ramen instead?"

"I-I thought you wouldn't realize I was gone!"

"Why? Because of  _this_?" Reina held out a  _very_  malformed yellow-haired doll, complete with garish red stitching and a popped button eye, before grabbing it by the body and using her other hand to rip its head off.

Both Naruto and Teuchi gasped as the cotton stuffing fell and out onto the floor.

"You thought this  _puppet_  could somehow trick me into thinking you were home? What was I going to do, teach it seals for an hour and wonder why it never spoke back?!"

"Uh... I was hoping it was worth a shot!"

"I GRADUATED THE ACADEMY AT  _SIX_." Reina roared. "I have been a shinobi for over NINE YEARS. I am not going to be tricked by a PUPPET."

"Eeeehehe... Hey, aren't you supposed to be busy though, with all your chunin missions lately?" Naruto pouted, "That's why we haven't had lessons lately right, lady? I thought I'd save you the trouble of cancelling today!"

"Yes, I do have missions actually, thank you for realizing. But I have to do this or the Hokage'll have my ass," Reina fumed. "he's already nagged me about how many lessons we've missed so far, so it would help if you cooperated. Even just a little; I'm not asking a lot! Just that you be there, instead of this  _puppet_!"

"But I'm not dooone," Naruto whined.

Reina looked down to see Naruto's bowl still spille-over with broth and small bites of bamboo shoot. His chopsticks were completely covered in a thin film of rendered pork fat.

Minato, from what Reina had remembered, had been a bit of neat freak; he'd visibly wince when her towel-drying left streaks on water glasses. How Naruto could look so much like the man, and yet be so far from him personality-wise?

Kushina's genes must've been _strong._

"Ugh," Reina sighed, "fine, finish your meal first."

She watched him eat, tapping her foot as she waited impatiently. Thankfully, he was done within a few minutes, burping loudly before jumping off the stool to the floor.

Shortly after, they made their way back to his apartment.

"Hmm," Naruto said once they'd made it past the front door of his home, "I'm hungry. Do you want some ramen?"

"You just _had_ ramen _._ "

"That was ten minutes ago!"

"...Ugh," Reina muttered. "seriously, I'm going to kill you someday."

Naruto skipped off to the kitchen, eager to get started on his instant ramen (second) dinner.

Reina stood, deciding to stretch her legs by walking into the bedroom, because that was the only other room to walk _to_  in his place. Once she'd made it past the doorway, however, her foot immediately met the hem of a shirt he'd thrown down onto the ground. She sighed, wondering if it'd kill him to do a load of laundry once in a while, before glancing at Naruto's bed.

Strange. From here, she could see the gleam of a familiar insignia etched into a small rectangle of metal, surrounded by a blue band. It was a Konoha forehead protecter, just sitting there atop his sheets.

She frowned.  _There's no way that's his._

"Naruto?" she called. The boy came running up.

"Yeah?"

"What's this?" Reina had gone over to his bed to hold up the forehead protector. "Did you get permission to have this just sitting in your room?"

She's realized, once coming here, how Konoha protectively maintained the integrity of their shinobi's symbol of status. No one was allowed to possess a forehead protector that hadn't graduated the Academy, unless it'd been sanctioned by the village as an heirloom or memorabilia of some sort. It was taboo, and even considered illegal in these parts.

Naruto laughed like she hadn't just found hidden contraband in his room. "Oh. That's just a gift someone gave me."

She didn't buy it. "They don't just give these out willy nilly, Naruto. The Hokage'll have your ass for this, you know."

Clearly Naruto had stolen the forehead protector, which wasn't exactly out of character for the young boy. Reina could only sigh as she held it up closer to her face, examining it for any indicator of its real owner.

"I... It wasn't me! I just found it!"

"Riiiight," Reina said, nodding with little enthusiasm, "you just found it. Look, however you came across it, I would suggest you give it back."

"No! Give it back, it's mine! I got it fair and square!" Naruto yelled, running up to her with tears in his eyes. His tiny hands grabbed at the blue fabric, but not before Reina pulled it away. "Don't touc—"

Well, this was annoying. Unsure as to how to proceed from here, Reina settled for grabbing him by the armpits and lifting him up, if only just to keep his grubby little hands at a distance.

"Wha?!" He blinked, looking shell-shocked, arms falling to his side. It was like he'd never been lifted like that before. Or maybe he hadn't.

"Just calm down, okay? Look, you can keep the stupid thing. Just don't go stealing anymore stuff from now on. Especially not from shinobi. They're like, definitely going to notice."

"...R-Really?" Naruto hiccuped. "I'm allowed to keep it?"

"Probably not, but I won't be the one to take it away." Reina shrugged, dropping the boy back down to the floor, who landed on his feet with a sound  _slam_.

"...I'll return it," Naruto said suddenly, after a passing beat of silence.

"Wait, what?"

"I'll return it." Naruto repeated, "It's not mine."

Wow, his moral compass sure shot straighter than her own. "Well, uh, I already knew that... but... okay then."

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, "are you mad?"

"...No?" The remorse on his face was new to her, almost making her miss his petulant-child act.

Almost.

"Really?" Naruto blinked, as if surprised by her reply. "So... you'll keep coming? You're not going to leave?"

"Yeah. I kind of have to."

"Yay!" Naruto said, eyes lighting up. "You're the best! I don't care what Shikamaru says about your clan! Or that the other kids in the Academy think you have a scary face! Even if everyone else thinks you're creepy, I'll still tell them you're a good friend!"

He really knew how to make a girl feel special. "Wait, what does Shikamaru say about my..." Reina trailed off as Naruto sprinted back to the kitchen to finish eating. "Oh, forget it."

After his meal, Naruto was able to keep focused on seals for all of five minutes before falling asleep at the table. Reina had rolled her eyes before throwing his limp body onto his bed, haphazardly pulling a corner of his sheets over his middle.

"What a kid," Reina muttered, watching as Naruto's leg fell over the side of the bed, kicking the sheet she'd just covered him with onto the floor. His snores reverberated off the walls, impressively loud considering his current size. How could something so small produce such thunderous sound?

"Guess that's what happens when you're the main character. Everything's got to be so excessive with you. Sometimes, even _I_  can't believe what you'll accomplish later on. And I've literally seen it with my own eyes."

Naruto only continued to snore soundly in response. Reina couldn't help but envy him. It'd been a while since she'd gotten a good night's sleep herself.

Most of her recent sleeps had been fitful, knowing that each dawn would bring certain events closer and closer.

 

* * *

 

"When I told you we should train together more often before I leave, this is not what I meant," Shisui said, pale. He was watching Gai run laps around the field, in demonstration of what he wanted Reina's next training sprint to look like.

Which would've been fine, had he not been doing the run on his hands.

"Trust me," Reina said glumly, "this was not my idea."

It was the next day, and she'd been planning on training with Shisui alone. Yet  _somehow_ , Gai had found her waiting for Shisui at the training grounds; when she'd explained her intentions for being there, Gai had immediately jumped to the conclusion that this would be the perfect chance to help Reina polish up her taijutsu training.

"How're you planning to get out of this one?" Shisui asked, watching Gai as he started to perform vertical pushups on the side of a tree.

"Dunno. I still haven't told him about my ankle," Reina admitted. One of the reasons she'd been avoiding their taijutsu training sessions together (amongst many, many other reasons) was because the exercises had been hurting her ankle. She'd injured it with Zabuza many years ago, but it hadn't been too much of an issue up until now. Not until Gai had tried to incorporate weight training.

Plus, the chunin missions she'd always chosen hadn't exactly been labor-intensive enough to warrant the kind of training Gai encouraged in the first place. She'd really no need for further honing her taijutsu, so long as she kept her chakra usage in check with her genjutsu and ninjutsu. Though of course, it was very difficult to explain this to the village's number one taijutsu proponent.

"How ridiculous!" Gai would exclaim as she tried to use this very logical reasoning to him, "you shouldn't just assume you'll never need taijutsu in battle! Weren't you the one who discovered the limits of your reserves last year?"

Reina looked to Shisui for help, who shrugged.

"He's got a point. Maybe you should try to pick up some more taijutsu now that you're between missions," Shisui said. "you never know when it'll come in handy."

"I've already got a lot on my plate, what with genjutsu training," Reina moaned. More than a year ago, Kurenai had also insisted they pick up their training together as well, despite the prowess Reina'd made since leaving for Kiri (though this was after almost pummeling Reina to death after Kurenai discovered she'd faked her own death, and Reina had to say, she was impressed enough with Kurenai's newfound strength to want to learn more from the girl). Of course, taijutsu made more sense considering her chakra situation, but it was just so much  _harder_  for her. "and my ankle..." she didn't really need to lower her volume for that last part, as Gai was already back to doing upside-down squats from a branch.

"It kind of sounds like you're just using that as an excuse, Reina," Shisui said disapprovingly, "I've seen you use that ankle just fine."

"Uh, it's fine when it's not being bogged down with 100-pound weights!" Reina huffed loudly back. It was in moments like this that she remembered how distant she and Shisui had gotten, his lack of compassion towards her injury such a contrast to how he'd treated her growing up. It was probably deserved, but also very annoying.

"We should always strive to push our limits as far as we possibly can, isn't that right, Reina?!" Gai shouted, arms behind his back as he swing himself atop the branch by his ankles.

"No," Reina said, "it's not."

A few moments later, Reina finally relented, only agreeing to a short training session. It barely took a half hour before Reina was covered in sweat and panting, while Gai simply walked off the field to his next appointment with a triumphant grin. Blissfully unaware of all the mental damaged he'd (likely) permanently done her.

"I hate taijutsu," Reina muttered as she walked back towards a laughing Shisui, who had been watching the session while leaned against a post. "Hate it, hate it."

"Alright, I kind of see what you mean," Shisui admitted, "that got a little... extreme. I still can't believe I saw you trying to do push ups with him on your  _back_. Did you ever manage to get even the one done?"

"No," Reina said, "and if you ever speak of it again, I will  _cut out your tongue_. Now—wait, what's that?"

Shisui turned to follow Reina's finger as she pointed to a pillar of smoke ascending into the sky. Shisui paled, recognizing the location it was coming from the same moment Reina did. A second hadn't even passed before suddenly, he was gone.

"What—wait!" Reina moaned, before running after him. Damn him and his stupid  _shunshin_. "Shouldn't we be running  _away_  from the fire?!"

They reached the outskirts of the village a moment later, Shisui making a swift appearance at the entrance of the Uchiha compound with Reina following shortly after. A familiar shop near the front of the compound was engulfed in a thick cloud of seemingly sourceless smoke, with several Uchihas running out of the building and wheezing shakily. One of them was an older woman wearing an apron, looking haggard with soot streaking her face.

"Aunt Uruchi!" Shisui yelled, running over to her. "Are you alright?"

Uruchi looked up with glistening eyes, tears fighting to wash to out the dust that'd collected in them.

"Shisui," she coughed, taking one of his outstretched arms, "I'm fine. Get out of here, this smoke's not good for you."

 _Strange,_  Reina thought,  _smoke but no fire?_  The density too, reminded her of one of her favorite shinobi tools, but there was no way they'd get away with using that within the compound walls... Right? Not here, right in the home of the Police Force itself?

"What? Of course I'm not leaving! I'm here to help you!" Shisui exclaimed.

"What happened?" Reina asked, looking around.

"Some damned lowlifes threw a smoke bomb into our shop, that's what happened," a man who Reina remembered as Teyaki said, coming up behind them with an ash-dusted face. He too, was coughing into a dampened cloth, before continuing, "look what they've done to our shop! They could've killed me and my wife!"

"No way," Shisui said, shoulders tensing, "someone threw a smoke bomb  _into_  your store? While you were both in there?! But everyone knows you two run this shop, who would do that?!"

Reina frowned. True, it was hard to believe anyone would have something against two such kindly elders. Civilian elders, no less. "Was it a villager?"

"Damn right it was," Teyaki continued, breathing short, "I saw them with my own eyes, running off snickering after throwing that thing through our window."

"Shisui!" A voice called behind them. Reina felt herself snapping to attention when she saw the stony face of one Fugaku Uchiha. Her breath stopped in her chest as he approached them, a few other Police Force members trailing behind him, "You can clear the area now. We'll take it from here." his eyes fell on Reina before he snapped with ample bite, "Who let this outsider here? This is a private matter, girl. Run along."

"I...! Sorry, I'm going," Reina said, turning on her heel. She wanted to say something about the 'girl' comment, but Fugaku somehow looked even sourer than usual right now. Shisui following suit, throwing one last furtive glance towards Aunt Uruchi. The older woman simply waved him off with a light cough.

"I should go back," Shisui muttered once they were at the exit of the compound, a thicket of forest at their backs, "I should make sure she's really okay..."

"I think Fugaku, out of anyone, would have that covered," Reina said. "but seriously, who would do something like that? What happened?"

"I... I don't know," Shisui said, walking a few paces ahead of Reina, who would have been struggling to keep up with his hurried strides had she not been a shinobi herself. Actually, she was still struggling. He was  _much_  faster than her. "things have been bad lately, but this... this is really bad."

"I mean, yeah, it's a dumb prank—"

"It's not just a prank," Shisui mumbled quietly, "it's a statement. We're losing respect, status, power... But the civilians shouldn't have to be blame for any of it..."

"Um, well," Reina said quickly, "power, status, that stuff doesn't really matter anyways, does it? And I'm sure with time, things will die down. Everyone'll forget why they were so mad at the Uchihas in the first place."

"It's been years since the Kyuubi attack. Nobody's forgotten, and a lot of people are still blaming us. Probably always will."

"But still..."

"I'm not saying our clan was always in the right either. I just don't like that people are pushing things further past what they need to be. We just need a little more time, and then I..." Shisui suddenly stopped in his tracks, shaking his head. "Nevermind. Look, either way, it doesn't involve you."

Reina reeled back a little at that.

"I mean, just because I'm not an Uchiha, doesn't mean I can't hel—"

"I have to go." Shisui ignored her, turning towards the forest, "I have a big day tomorrow. I need to rest."

Reina froze.

"What? What are you doing tomorrow?"

"It's not... It's not important. It'll just take a while, so I don't know when I'll be free."

A familiar knot started to twist in Reina's stomach.

" _What're you doing_ , Shisui?" Reina repeated.

Her question was only met with silence. She pressed again, this time almost yelling. "Look, just tell me! Stop being so secretive!"

"Whoa, Reina, lowering the volume. We're not that far outside the compound." he said, surprised. "What's gotten into you?"

She could feel it. She didn't know why, but this time, she could feel it coming. It was time.

She would never get used to it. The surprise of it. To know that they would be here one day, only to never be seen starting the next. There was always so _little_  time to mentally prepare.

And the fact that she knew before they themselves did somehow made it all much, much worse.

"Look, whatever it is you're doing," she suggested, "why can't you just do it next week, or the week after? Or even better, never."

 _Oh wait, not never,_  she thought suddenly. _He... he_ has _to die. For the sake of the original story._

But did it have to be this  _soon_?

A part of her wasn't ready to say goodbye yet. But if tomorrow was the day he ran into Danzo, then...

_That's that._

Shisui huffed. "You've always been a little off, Reina, but this is a lot. Even for you. It's not my job to tell you everything I do, you know. Anyways, I'll see you sometime later, okay? Maybe... next week. If things go well," he muttered that last part, mostly to himself, before turning to leave.

 _Nope,_  Reina thought as she watched his figure disappear into the forest, though she was a little unsure of why she was doing what she was about to do. _Screw next week. I'll be seeing you tomorrow._

 

* * *

 

She trailed Shisui the next morning as he left the compound on the path towards the nearest training ground. Ideally she would've followed him starting from his house, but entering the Uchiha's territory was now nearly impossible for her after the events of the day before.

Trust her, she tried.

"Here, kitty kitty," Reina muttered, waiting for Nora to come back. She'd sent her summons off to scout Shisui's route, allowing Reina to keep a safe distance from him yet still be aware of the direction he was headed. He was a seasoned shinobi, after all. She'd need all the tricks in the book to get one past her. Lucky for her, she was pretty experience with tracking, after over 7 years of training with Zabuza...

"Reina."

She froze, almost falling off a tiled ledge as she saw Shisui look up to glare at her. He had called her name from more than three stories below her, as she'd been following his path from the rooftops of nearby apartments. "I know you're there."

Goddammit! What was all that training with Zabuza even  _for_?! "Uh, I can explain."

Shisui suddenly  _shunshin'_ d before her. "Are you following me?"

"Uh. 'Following' is a strong word."

"...Is it the right word?"

"Maybe."

He sighed, putting a hand to his face. "Reina, look, I'm really not doing anything that important today. Just training with Itachi, but he asked me not to advertise it because of everything that's happening with the clan lately. That's it."

She blinked in surprise. Oh.

He was just training with Itachi today? She'd assumed today would be the day he'd attempt to use his Kotoamatsukai on the clan's leaders, only to be stopped by Danzo's attack. The one that ultimately led to the end of his life. Of course, she wasn't really sure what was going on behind the scenes, so she didn't have a clear timeline. Honestly, it was possible he hadn't even approached the Council about this yet, for all she knew.

A part of her resented the wave of the relief that'd washed over her chest at knowing that, at least for now, Shisui would live another day more.

 _Wait,_  Reina thought,  _why is Shisui suddenly willing to tell me about this training session today? He was being so sketchy about it just yesterday._  He wasn't usually wasn't secretive about stuff like that in general, but it did make sense that they'd wanted to stay under the radar after recent events.

Still... Something seemed fishy about this.

"Well, I have nothing against you Uchihas, though a lot of you  _are_  pretty snobby," Reina joked. "so you won't mind if I tag along, right?" That would be the only way to see what he was up to, after all.

"No, I think it's better if you didn't," Shisui said, turning to leave. "maybe next time, Reina."

Great, now she'd have to do this the hard way.

Five minutes later they arrived at the training grounds, where Itachi was already waiting.

"Shisui," Itachi said, looking exasperated as he watched Shisui and Reina approaching, "I did not know you were bringing company."

"Sorry Itachi," came Shisui's dejected mumblings, "she insisted on tagging along today for some reason... started yelling and grabbing onto my leg as when I tried to leave, never seen her act like this..."

"I see," Itachi said, "After what happened with Aunt Uruchi and Uncle Teyaki yesterday, there were some things I was hoping we would have a chance to speak about afterwards... in private."

Reina pretended not to notice how his eyes darted to her for just a fraction of a second when he'd said that last part. Even more annoyingly, she was aware he had trained enough as a shinobi to know how to avoid such telling body language.

He  _wanted_  her to know she wasn't welcome to this conversation.

_Prick._

Still, she simply  _hmmphed_  in reply, planting herself in a seat on the floor in front of a shady tree. Sunset was nearing, so Itachi and Shisui hurried to get into their training stances to allow themselves the full hour.

_Clnnk. Claank._

The sound of kunais meeting midair filled the field. It was hard to tell who was fighting who at times, both Itachi and Shisui moving far faster than she'd cared to follow. It'd been a while since she'd seen Shisui in action, and well, she'd never seen Itachi fight outside the series up until now. She'd only sparred with him a bit during training, and he'd certainly held back during those sessions.

But what was most surprising was how brightly the two were smiling each time she'd caught a glimpse of their faces. Their exhilaration was clear in their expressions, far from any emotion Reina'd ever experienced when she herself trained. Shisui was a big smiler in general, but Reina couldn't recall him grinning that widely anytime recently. He'd been much tenser, as of late. And Itachi, well... she'd just assumed his m4outh didn't go in that direction; unless he was around Sasuke, of course. But these two just seemed happy to be fighting with equals, and held evident mutual respect for each other as shinobi.

They truly were the best of friends.

_Caaw! CAAAAW!_

_What was that?_  Reina thought, squinting into the sun.  _Wait. Isn't that...?_

Itachi's head snapped up as he too, caught sight of the flying figure as it soared past them through the sky.

Shisui's crow.

"Wait, what?" Reina blinked, glancing over to Shisui. Her jaw dropped in disbelief as, right in that moment, the boy  _poof_ 'd into a cloud a smoke. "Oh my god, you assholes!"

"I apologize," Itachi said, "but Shisui knew you would follow him today, so he took preventative measures."

"A shadow clone, though?!" Reina exclaimed. "How did I even fall for that? Ugh!"

"Shisui is very adept at that jutsu," Itachi said, "and I knew it was unlikely you'd suspect this of him as well. He is not deceptive by nature."

"So then what is he doing that's so important he went to all this trouble?" Reina asked, heart rate rising rapidly, "I... where is he right now?"

"I do not know," Itachi said, shaking his head, "he only asked that I assist him with this ruse. He would not divulge details, and for the sake of his privacy, I did not press further."

 _You idiot,_  Reina thought.  _You should definitely have pressed further!_

A part of her knew this wasn't Itachi's fault, though. He thought he was just helping a friend. He didn't know what she knew.

"But his shadow clone disappeared," Reina paled, "doesn't that mean he's in trouble?"

"It could just be that he requires his reserves for another task," Itachi said, "that is not something inherently troubling."

Another task. Another task, as in fighting Danzo?!

She was about to press him further when Shisui's crow appeared before them, flapping its wings wildly as it landed on Itachi's shoulder.

Itachi's eyes widened.

"Still think there isn't something _inherently troubling_ happening?" Reina asked dryly.

 

* * *

 

Itachi had left without her, as Shisui's summon had been instructed to call him over; and him alone. Itachi, ever loyal to his friend's intentions, made a point of not allowing Reina to follow despite her protests. It didn't matter, though. Reina had taking the necessary precautions for this.

She took out her scroll to summon something small, black and furry, that immediately went barreling into her feet once it'd  _poof_ 'd into the area. Reina lifted her leg in surprise as she looked down into the gleaming eyes of her summon.

"Nora! Were you able to find him?"

She'd sent the summon to the Naka river to wait for Shisui's arrival, on the off chance Itachi had been called away to play out that pivotal scene in the series. It was a shot in the dark, but thankfully, her instincts had been right. And from what Nora was relaying to her nonverbally with his simple nods of yes or no, Shisui had only just made it to the waterfall when she'd summoned him back.

"Perfect," Reina breathed, breaking off into a run, "I might still have some time."

 _Time for what?_ Reina thought to herself as she continued to sprint towards the forest's cliff.

What was she trying to do, here? Get there just in time, to watch him die?

She'd never wanted that before. When Obito had left, and Rin, Kushina, and Minato had passed, she'd done her best to avoid witnessing it. So why did she feel so obligated now, to watch Shisui meet his demise? After their friendship had distanced, after years of writing off Konoha for a life in Kiri?

She couldn't explain it. None of it made sense, but she could feel it. That overwhelming need to be  _there_.

She was a terrible friend to him in life, but she would at least be there for him at the end.

Night had already fallen by the time she'd made it to the foot of the cliff, barely able to make out two shadowy figures standing at its apex. She was several stories down, closer to the water than any of them. Despite having taking all the precautions to go undetected this time, she still wanted to keep her distance. Just in case.

"This is it," she whispered to Nora, who had followed quietly behind her, "it's time."

It was a clear night. There were sparse clouds, the moon swelling and full in the sky above. Yet not a single star shone; instead they stayed hidden away, as if they, too, wanted to look away from the scene that was about to unfold.

Her breath caught in her chest as she watched it happen, as if in slow motion. She watched, as the figure took a step back towards the edge.

She would wonder for the rest of her life, what the feeling was like at that moment. What thoughts were running through his mind as he prepared himself to jump? He was doing something she never could, giving his own life for his clan. Ending his own short life for something he didn't need to be involved in, not really. He could've just run instead. Run from it all, the Uchihas, Konoha, Danzo.

She would've. But that was the difference between Shisui and herself.

For him, the thought had probably never even crossed his mind.

Nora looked up to her with questioning eyes, sharp green orbs gleaming in the moonlight.

"No," she said quietly, putting a foot down in front of the summon, "we're just here to watch."

Itachi's tenseness could be felt from afar, if not heard in his voice as other boy stepped back towards the choppy waters below. He was about to give himself to the mercy of the air, and it would prove unforgiving. He would fall, and fall quickly. She watched as he stood at the edge.

Strangely, that was the moment the realization struck her.

It was her first time watching someone die.

 _Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. THUMP._  Reina's heart started to slam against her chest with every beat, each sound crescendoing as every second passed; Shisui only a few feet away, rapidly approaching his fate in the river below. For the first time, she wasn't exaggerating. She was truly worried her heart would burst from her chest, as the beating only grew louder. And louder.

And louder.

_THUMP. THUMP._

The sound was thrumming so rapidly in her ears, it was actually affecting her ability to see. There was white in the corners of her vision, her hands flying up to rub at her eyes in an attempt to return them to normal.

"Reina," her eyes widened at the sound as she lowered her hands. It was familiar, but also strangely not; it had more of an echo of likeness to something she once knew.

Her gaze rose to see a kind-looking, brown-eyed girl smiling back at her, "Hi, Reina."

Rin.

"It's okay, Reina," Rin said, raising her palm ups. "everything'll be okay."

"Whaa...?" Her breath had gone shallow, shaky, unable to finish forming her question. "What?! What the HELL?"

"You've grown up so much," another soft voice, a flurry of red hair falling around the shoulders of a familiar woman as she appeared in front of Reina, kneeling; to her right was a blonde man, blue eyes swimming gently compassion.

_THUMP. THUMP. THUMP._

_"What's happening?!"_  Reina wheezed, falling on her hands, her face so close to the grass her nose was practically rubbing in dirt. She'd rub it further in, though, if it meant not facing the figures before her. "You guys are dead! This can't be real!"

Reina clasped her head between her hands.

"It's okay, Reina," Kushina smiled, repeating Rin's words. "It's okay. You can do what your heart is telling you to do."

"I don't know what you're talking about! How are you guys here, you can't—" she paused, terror-stricken as the realization struck her. "...It's the same as then, isn't it? Back when I used to see Naruto... You're all just hallucinations."

"We might not be real," Minato said, "but that doesn't mean you can't to hear what we have to say."

"Your friend is different from us," Kushina said, "you can find a way to save him, and keep this world's happy ending. I know you can do it, Reina, you just have to believe in yourself. The way I've always believed in you."

"No," Reina said, "I can't. I can't. I'm not like Naruto, nothing works out for me like it does for him... I can't just take that risk, it's not worth it..."

"I don't think you truly think that," Minato said softly. "if you did, you wouldn't be seeing us right now. Your heart would've have called on us for help."

_THUMP. THUMP! THUUMP!_

"My heart? Calling on you...? Oh come on, stop with this storybook bullshit! This isn't a story anymore, this is my real life, now, and possibly the last one I'll get! So unlike you I've been taking it seriously!" Reina snapped, finally sitting up and throwing her hands to her sides.

"We took it seriously too," Rin said in her soft, bell-like voice, "that's why we fought until the end, Reina. I know deep inside, you want to do the same. Remember what Obito said, that day at the festival?"

" _No!_ "

Hadn't the universe played enough cruel jokes on her? It couldn't have picked a worse world to drop her in; one in the midst of war, where she had been orphaned and alone, with only the faint backstory of a crazed clan to call her own. She'd let three people die, and bore that burden of guilt through years of suffering in Kiri. She'd done it because she was doing what she'd thought she was supposed to do. She was going to keep doing that too, even with Shisui.

She'd thought that was what the universe wanted from her. Stay in her lane, sit back quietly and observe. The message had seemed clear at the time.

It was clearer now, that the universe was actually just toying with her.

She'd had enough of it.

" _'The last thing you should be is afraid to fight, even when it comes to something like destiny'_ ," Rin continued, "that's what Obito said to us that time. You pretend you didn't believe in those things, but deep down, you heard him. His words must have reached you, even just a little bit."

"Stop!" Reina shouted, clasping her head in her hands again.

"Reina," came Kushina's voice again, "you'll regret it for the rest of your life if you don't at least try."

"And like you said," she didn't even need to look up to know this soft whisper belonged to Minato, "this one might be your last."

 _"BE QUIET!"_  she screamed, fingers digging into her temples so hard she thought they would break. "JUST BE  _QUIET_!"

Suddenly, there a was shout; Itachi's pained cry filled the night, the sound splitting the moon in half as just a few feet away, Shisui took the plummet towards his death.

Then the world went black and white.

.

..

...

_What have you done, Reina?_

 

* * *

 

 _A purely physical reaction,_  she told herself five minutes later, when the fog had lifted, and she'd finally begun to come to to terms with had happened.  _This doesn't mean anything. This doesn't change anything._

It was just a coincidence, that her Tomeru had activated itself only seconds before the crown of Shisui's head was to make contact with the river.

"Nope," she said, voice toneless, as she stared down at Shisui's body, held loosely in her gloved hands, "this totally... doesn't... change anything."

Shisui's prone form was now black and white, thanks to the greyscale of her Kekkei Genkai. Since she'd yet to make any direct skin contact with him, he hadn't been removed from the jutsu yet. Thanks to that, he was still somewhat suspended midair, like a puppet in a show; there were no strings to be seen, though. Also, he was no longer anywhere near the cliff, instead, they were in a cave a half mile off. Why? Because she'd brought him here. Like an idiot. "no, this doesn't... change... anything."

It probably had to do with her strange genes, her clan's proclivity for psychosis. The emotional stress had gotten the better of her. The Tomeru had simply reacted to that. She'd moved and taken him to this cave, without thinking. It didn't change anything. She could just... put him back.

Right?

She stared out across the water, falling to her knees in defeat.

She'd really done it. She'd really, actually, done it.

She had saved Shisui.

 _By God, you're an idiot,_ she thought to herself.

_No. No, you can still undo this, Reina. Put him back right now, and nobody'll be the wiser, it'll be like you were never here—_

But then she looked down.

"God, are you serious," she whispered, horrified. She hadn't seen his face up close yet, having been busy with the task of saving him from a waterlogged doom. Blood streamed from his eyes in long rivulets, scarlet red now an inky black thanks to her Tomeru. His fists had been balled tightly at his sides, as if he'd been willing them not to move, not to lash out on instinct—as any human would—and try to grab onto something to delay his fall.

It was his smile that got to her, though.

The smile. He was about to die, but he was still smiling. The _freak._

And the worst part was that it was  _his_  smile. Such a very Shisui smile. That same stupid, goofy grin he'd worn since childhood.

Nothing about him had changed since then, not really, in terms of personality at least. Even as the years went by, as he lost family and friends to war and battles, nothing had even remotely managed to squander his ideals. That steadiness was the same trait that would define Naruto later on too, as well as the great hero he would grow up to be.

Life could throw anything at them, the most terrible things imaginable, and they would face it head on. With a smile.

These were the thoughts occupying her head as she lifted up one of her arms, almost on instinct, in preparation for a set of hand seals.

 _You wouldn't have had a choice soon, anyways,_  she tried to tell herself, _just do this for now, and you can figure the rest out later._  From the markings on her wrist, she could tell her time was almost up. With her reserves, she couldn't risk pushing past her limits this time. She didn't know what the consequences would be now.

Slowly, ever so slowly, she deactivated her Tomeru.

 _Oh shit,_  she realized, eyes widening, as a sudden, familiar feeling flooded her senses; the quick pulse of chakra in a concentrated area, right at Shisui's stomach as his body fell to the floor of the cave.

The faint indicator of a seal.

She'd made a terrible oversight. A part of her knew she should've wondered more on how Kabuto was never able to find Shisui's corpse in the series, even though it should've washed up on shore sometime after his fall in the river. Now she knew why, as brushed her fingers over his shirt—her nails immediately dragging on the edges of the small paper outlined on his middle.

"Fuck!" Reina realized, as the cave burst into chaos. Shisui started to flail, no longer under the influence of the Tomeru; his panicked voice filled their damp surroundings as he shouted his confusion. She ignored him, instead pulling up his shirt to grab the time-delayed explosive he'd planted on himself. It was seconds away from detonation, so she quickly crumpled it in her hand before throwing it out towards the cave's entrance—

But she hadn't made it in time.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Finallllly
> 
> Sorry for the late updates/review replies guys! It was mostly because I was busy with work these last few months, and partly because even though this chapter was already mostly written, I needed to do more research to make sure I got these scenes/timelines right (nobody pointed this out, but there was this one mistake in a canon character's storyline a while back, and I thought it was a bummer). Tbh I'm still unsure about some of this stuff, but I'm tired of rewriting so I'm calling it. I'd rather go back and edit later than end up never finishing this story lol.
> 
> Planning to upload the next chapter on time, hopefully. I was technically almost on time for this one, just a bit late...


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